Surge haul: the Metropolitan Police say that they have seized 2,741 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters since the start of 2025
The Metropolitan Police has seized 52 illegal e-bikes and mopeds during a two-day operation in February to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, including more than a dozen mostly delivery bikes taken in Croydon during what Scotland Yard calls “surge days” last month.
The operations have been carried out across London, including in the West End at Cambridge Circus, and even arrests made in Parliament Square, opposite the House of Commons.
The Met says it has seized 2,741 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters across the capital since the start of 2025. In hotspot areas such as Westminster, neighbourhood offences are already down by 28.4% in 2025-2026.
In Croydon, what is called Operation Veyvah has been ongoing since October 2024.
Last month, a week-long operation in Croydon town centre led to the seizure of 14 vehicles including illegal e-bikes, e-scooters and mopeds, as well as cars. Three arrests were made.
In Lewisham at the end of February, the police targeted two food delivery kitchens and, in the space of two and a half hours, officers seized 20 illegal powered two-wheelers.
Operation Veyvah: the police seized 14 vehicles in Croydon town centre in two days last month. Three arrests were made
The police clampdown was also aimed at reducing mobile phone theft. Between January 19 and February 16, the operation resulted in 248 arrests.
“This focused activity builds on months of sustained operations targeting the dangerous and illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters as the Met continues to drive down neighbourhood crime,” a Scotland Yard spokesperson said.
Superintendent Luke Baldock, the Met’s lead officer for tackling e-bike and e-scooter crime, said: “We understand Londoners’ concerns about how e-bikes and e-scooters are being used to commit offences, such as phone theft, burglary and other anti-social behaviour.
“That is why the Met is continuing to ramp up action and increase the roll-out of specialised operations across our neighbourhoods to tackle this type of crime.
“This focused activity builds on the success of previous operations which have seen thousands of illegal vehicles cleared from our streets and crushed.
“We are also working with stakeholders across the e-bike industry, public sector partners and listening directly to communities to ensure people can cycle and travel safely in London.”
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It’s good news that the police are tackling this crime but I see no general reduction of e-bikes on the roads or, worse, on the pavements. It seems that the message is not widely known. E-bikes that don’t require pedalling are illegal. So is riding any kind of bike on the pavement (except where explicitly allowed). We need to reach a point where everyone knows this and bikes are ridden safely.
Maybe a poster and social media campaign would help.
may be get khan to make them go through a vetting system TfL he started to let them be allowed
Funny how the Met can tackle this while ignoring road violence committed by four-wheeled fiends
And they didn’t need one Live Facial Recognition camera.
They should take every single moped off the roads, absolute disgrace turning London into a hellhole.
It’s absurd that delivery scooters can be ridden on L plates . Imagine cabbies driving as learners. Mayor Khan might be able to legislate for this making us all safer and perhaps forcing the companies to pay fair wages
I guess it makes a change from the Met arresting grannies for peacefully protesting against genocide in Gaza perpetrated by Israel.