This FOI request from Avon and Somerset Constabulary doesn’t fill me with confidence. Does it you?
The Refusal to Engage: As we explored in The Pavement Menace, our walkways are increasingly hostile, yet Avon & Somerset Police outright refuse to utilise tactical contact or proactive intercepts due to ‘lack of resources’—unlike other UK forces proving it can be done.
How Other Forces Are Getting It Right: Progressive forces are showing real results, with the Metropolitan Police seizing over 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters, and Northumbria Police aggressively scaling up confiscations through ‘tactical contact’. Watch the cowards run off!
The "Youngsters" Cop-Out: In conversations I’ve had with local police, officers often shrug off the issue by claiming these are just youngsters who won't stop; the reality on the ground is that fully-grown adults are frequently behind the handlebars and should know far better.
Where Are Our Results? We are repeatedly told that illegal bikes and scooters are being rounded up and sent off to be crushed, but local residents see zero visible evidence, and force-wide statistics leave Bridgwater completely in the dark.
Take Action Now: Add your voice to this by contacting the PCC for Avon and Somerset, Clare Moody directly and let’s ramp up the pressure to get stuff done right here. We aren’t in a trial area and the bottom line is THEY ARE A SAFETY ISSUE AND ILLEGAL. END OF.
