ARE YOU FED UP OF SEEING BALACLAVA-WEARING YOUTHS ON E-BIKES AROUND OUR TOWNS AND CITIES?

29th September 202629th September 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments Balaclavas, E-Bikes, Police, Youths min read

Are you fed up of seeing youths riding high-powered e-bikes around our towns and cities, sometimes with their faces covered, and wondering what is being done about it? For residents in Havering, the answer is increasingly clear: police are stepping up enforcement, with the Havering Joint Task Force recently involved in a pursuit involving two Surron e-bikes in Upminster.

The incident happened on Thursday, 24 September, when officers from the Havering Joint Task Force attempted to stop two Surron e-bikes in St Mary’s Road as part of a proactive operation.

The operation was being carried out following incidents of motor vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour involving e-bikes.

The two riders failed to stop and officers engaged in a short pursuit.

The pursuit ended on North Street after the bikes collided with street furniture.

No injuries were reported.

One of the riders, a 15-year-old boy, was detained at the scene.

Both Surron e-bikes were seized under Section 135 of the Road Traffic Act.

The riders were also reported to the DVLA for driving otherwise in accordance with a licence, having no insurance, failing to stop and driving without due care and attention.

And the Upminster incident comes against the backdrop of a much wider crackdown by the Metropolitan Police.

The Met says it seized more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters across London in the first seven months of 2026, already exceeding the total seized during the whole of 2025. The force says more than 4,750 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters have been seized since January 2025.

The Met says illegally modified e-bikes are being used in offences including phone theft and robbery, while officers have also linked powered two-wheelers to drug dealing and other criminal activity.

In one recent operation, a rider attempting to evade police was pursued by a Met officer using a Sur-Ron. The rider fell and fled on foot, and was subsequently arrested after being found with a significant quantity of Class A drugs. Police also said he was a disqualified driver riding a moped displaying false plates.

The Met has also revealed that neighbourhood crime fell by 14 per cent in the 12 months to July 2026, with more than 33,000 fewer offences recorded across London. Theft from the person fell by 24 per cent and personal robbery by 11.2 per cent over the same period.

But while the wider figures show crime reductions, police are continuing to focus on the particular problems associated with illegal and modified powered two-wheelers.

The Met has described phone thieves using high-powered e-bikes to snatch phones and escape through busy streets as a particular problem. In response, the force has expanded its own fleet of crime-fighting e-bikes from five to 25, allowing officers to pursue suspects through areas where conventional police vehicles cannot easily follow.

Havering is also seeing targeted local enforcement.

The Met’s local policing priorities include e-scooters and e-bikes, with officers carrying out more stops and engagements with riders, providing advice and taking action where appropriate over relevant driving offences.

And that is where the Havering Joint Task Force comes in.

The team is specifically tasked with tackling offending behaviour causing harm across the borough and supporting local officers with intelligence-led enforcement operations targeting crime and anti-social behaviour hotspots.

For residents, the sight of a powerful Surron-style bike being ridden illegally through a town centre can understandably raise concerns about safety.

But there is an important distinction.

Owning or riding an e-bike is not in itself a criminal offence.

The issue is whether the machine is being used legally and responsibly.

The Met says some high-powered e-bikes are illegally modified and can fall within the legal definition of motor vehicles, meaning requirements such as a licence and insurance can apply.

The force’s crackdown is therefore not aimed at every person who uses an electric bike.

It is aimed at illegal machines, dangerous riding and those using powered two-wheelers as part of criminal activity.

And in Upminster, the message from the latest Joint Task Force operation is clear.

If riders fail to stop, ride dangerously, have no insurance or licence, or use their bikes in connection with crime or anti-social behaviour, police are prepared to act.

For many residents, that is exactly the kind of visible enforcement they want to see on the streets of Havering.

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