London phone snatchers face having their e-bikes crushed hours after they are seized in a crackdown on anti-social behaviour and electric cycle crime.
Under new government proposals, police will no longer have to warn offenders before confiscating and destroying their vehicles if they have been driven in an anti-social way or were used in thefts.
Ministers argue that the current 14 days police forces have to wait before disposing of them is making it easier for people to reclaim their bikes and repeat their offending.
This time limit is set to be cut to just 48 hours under measures in the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill.
The Metropolitan Police is also stepping up the confiscation of illegal scooters, modified e-bikes and badly parked cycles hired from companies such as Lime.
Officers were in High Street Kensington on Thursday targeting riders to check if their vehicles were road worthy.
They stopped riders to confirm motors, which let e-bikes travel in excess of 30mph, had not been attached.
E-scooters were also being confiscated.
Rental scooters, from companies such as Lime, are the only way to legally ride them on public roads in the capital. Privately-owned e-scooters and many modified e-bikes are illegal to use, but some riders are not aware of the law.
Kensington and Bayswater MP Joe Powell told the Standard: “Lots of residents contact me about illegally modified e-bikes, speeding, running red lights, occasionally even links to organised crime like phone theft and robbery. So this operation is really important.
“Firstly, as a deterrent. To show people that we have a law in place and that needs to be enforced, and secondly, to seize those bikes or scooters that have been illegally modified so they can be taken away and crushed.”
Mr Powell said the new laws, due to come in later this year, will help deter criminals from using e-bikes.
He added: “In the past [police] have had to give a warning. Now they can take [the bike] if they suspect there is some sort of criminal activity. So again, it's about enforcement and it's about a deterrent, but this is a high volume crime that really affects Londoners.
“I'm really hoping this new offence in the Crime and Policing bill and the new powers will help the Met to make Londoners' lives safer.”
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “By enabling police to seize and dispose of these vehicles within just 48 hours, we’re giving our officers the tools they need to deliver immediate results and providing communities the swift justice they deserve.
“These new powers send a clear message that anti-social behaviour, whatever form it takes, will not be tolerated in our local communities.”
Some 116,676 phones were reported stolen in London last year. Westminster saw the most device thefts at 34,061, according to Met Police figures.
Sergeant Jason May said his officers were seeing a rising number of people on modified electric bikes snatching phones, particularly on the streets of central London.
“It's definitely a mode being used to enable criminals to steal from members of the public,” he said.
He told the Standard: “Residents are always telling us that they've got a concern around e bikes, e scooters, that have been modified and are going at speed.
“They've also got an issue with Lime, and other such bikes, that just get left abandoned in the street. It's a local priority for us.
“We're here two or three times a week for an hour or so in key areas like High Street Kensington, which have a lot of footfall along with the enforcement.
“We're also doing engagement, where we're marking up the bikes that are legal with property marketing kits.”
