The leader of Ashfield District Council and the senior police officer in the district have met to discuss anti-social behaviour. Inspector Chris Boylin was appointed as the new divisional commander for Nottinghamshire Police earlier this year with a vow to clamp down on drug pushers.
Inspector Boylin met with Cllr Jason Zadrozny, leader of the Ashfield Independents, on The Twitchell, a playing field in the Leamington area of Sutton in Ashfield. The pair discussed “key policing priorities for our community” including off-road bikes, drugs, anti-social behaviour, Cllr Zadrozny said.
“I’m optimistic about our future collaboration and committed to tackling crime across the district”, he added, saying that he was “looking forward to a positive working relationship to ensure Ashfield remains a safe place for all.”
Police issue e-scooter warning
Last week the Sutton Neighbourhood Police Team said that they were “aware of ongoing anti-social behaviour involving e-scooters in the Sutton town centre and surrounding areas.”
They said that while e-scooters were readily available to purchase and that lots of people use them as a mode of transport, “the law around their use is quite simple: currently, it is illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter in public in the UK. They can only be used on private land, with the landowner’s permission”, they said.
The police added: “E-scooters are classed as a ‘motorcycle’ under current legislation, and therefore fall under the same legal requirements as any other motor vehicle, such as cars, mopeds, and motorcycles. You would need tax, a valid insurance policy and a driving licence to use them in public, and it is not possible to obtain an insurance policy for privately owned e-scooters at the moment.
“If you are found to be using an e-scooter in public, you will be committing an offence and action may be taken.”
They warned owners that offences under the Road Traffic Act include using a vehicle without the appropriate insurance, and that under the Police Reform Act makes it an offence to use a vehicle in a careless, inconsiderate or antisocial manner.
“Both of these offences provide police with the power to seize the e-scooter, and a fixed penalty notice may be issued, including points on your licence and fines”, they said.
Several local authorities are undertaking trial schemes allowing provisional licence holders over the age of 18 to rent an e-scooter for use on the road and cycle paths, but this does not extend to private e-scooters. Nottingham City Council will implement such a scheme with Lime later this year.
“I ask that any local residents who are aware of e-scooters being used in an anti-social or unsafe manner report this to the police”, PC Crouch from Sutton NPT said. “It is thanks to reports from members of the public and other road users that we can take positive action against those causing harm and disruption within the town centre.
“We will be running operations around Sutton in Ashfield to target hotspots where we have received numerous reports of e-scooter related anti-social behaviour, but I would encourage residents to also let us know of the areas and times that they see e-scooters most, so that we can use our resources in the most effective manner.”
