British police are setting up their phasers to stun in response to an explosion in scooter- and e-bike-based crime.
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In the squalid hives of scum and crooks that are Britain's major cities and towns, petty crooks are increasingly upgrading to the nimble vehicles to better snatch phones or other belongings from the hands of unsuspecting innocents.
It is legal to ride an e-bike without a license in the UK if it is pedal-assisted, has a maximum power of 250 watts and is limited to 15.5 mph (25 km/h). It is precisely this silence and speed that makes them the best refuge for robbers. The problem is now so widespread that London's Metropolitan Police have issued guidance on how to avoid becoming a victim.
Likewise, e-scooters have been involved in 20,000 crimes over the past three years. However, unlike e-bikes, privately owned vehicles are illegal to ride on public highways and roads – a fact seemingly lost on the parents who zip their kids to school on them. Yet there are around 750,000 in sheds and garages around the UK.
