Private E-Scooters Fun

[Roobaba]

Private e-scooters: Police warn about illegal misuse
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-birmingham-59747082

Private e-scooters fun.. or menace?

[barry1010]

emmie, do they magic themselves in to the coffee shop? You never see them travelling to or from?

[emmie]

i don't see them unless as i said they are getting their coffees, no idea whether they are off duty perhaps.

[barry1010]

They are not off-duty, emmie. The current thinking is that is better for police to take their breaks in the community rather than hiding in the police station.
Everyone is allowed to have drinks and take breaks at work.

[emmie]

you don't see hide nor hair of them anywhere round my area, and i have sat out side the cafe's and such and people watched

[New Judge]

//They aren't all idiotic, to be fair.//

I disagree. Apart from the few who are riding hired scooters as part of the government approved scheme. they are riding an unregistered, untaxed and (most importantly) uninsured motor vehicle. If (a big “if”) they are apprehended they face a hefty fine and six points on their driving record. If they injure somebody or cause damage that person will have trouble getting recompense or compensation. That’s idiotic.

//The "idiotic rider's" family, perhaps.//

Then they should try to persuade them not to be so idiotic.

//The current thinking is that is better for police to take their breaks in the community rather than hiding in the police station.//

Actually the current thinking is that it is better close and sell off police stations for development rather that keep them operational. This means there are fewer nicks for the officers to hide in (or to have some refreshments and use the toilet). I live on the edge of a large local authority area and the only nick for the entire area (of more than 350,000 residents) is just under ten miles away. Some residents are almost fifteen miles from that nick. As a result you see officers in McDonalds and (in my case) the local Homebase (which has a toilet and a “chuck wagon” in the car park) taking their breaks. We had a nick a mile from where I live. It was purpose built from scratch in 1986 and demolished in 2013. Around forty “apartments” now occupy the site.

[Teapots1]

The police stations seem to have been replaced by a massive amount of expensive high powered cars, sucking up fuel like no tomorrow, traveling from one county to another in the hope of capturing a stolen Nissan Micra. There's normally more than one police car involved in the chase.

[barry1010]

Those riding private scooters in public places are idiots, I agree.
One of my son’s worked in the front office of a police station for years, a civilian role. There were many days, and nights, when not a single member of the public visited. I think his record was ten shifts without a visitor.
It must be 40 years since I had a reason to visit a police station (I found a wallet in a phone box).

[youngmafbog]

//There's normally more than one police car involved in the chase.//

Round here the Old Bill usually get their chopper out.

[New Judge]

//There were many days, and nights, when not a single member of the public visited. I think his record was ten shifts without a visitor.//

Yes but that isn't really my point, barry. The front desk of a nick is but a small part of its function. It provides (among other things) a custody suite, interviewing facilities, office accommodation for detectives and welfare facilities for the officers and staff. On the odd occasion that anybody is lifted from the street where I live they have to be carted ten miles, often through very heavy traffic, to be processed. This takes the arresting officer (and his mate) out of service for far longer than necessary. But as far as welfare goes, the idea that it is better for officers to stand around in the car park in Homebase scoffing a bacon roll rather than be in a nick is simply smoke and mirrors. And I've absolutely no idea what those on night duty do when they want a break or a pee because Homebase and its chuck wagon are both closed.

[ichkeria]

I find the escooter thing bizarre.
They are not to be ridden anywhere, if privately owned, except on “private land”.
So unless you have a private estate …
And yet they appear to be on sale everywhere.
And presumably the approved non private ones are “safer”? How can they be?

[Stickybottle]

Yes
Everything about them is contrary and conflicting with legislation

[William51]

They are a menace.