London’s Met Police carry out operation to remove over 50 illegal e-bikes from the city
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
The Metropolitan Police have seized more than 50 illegal e-bikes during a two-day crackdown in London as part of a wider effort to tackle crime linked to illegally modified electric bikes.
Neighbourhood officers and specialist teams confiscated 38 illegal e-bikes in just five hours during a stop operation at Cambridge Circus in the West End, alongside additional vehicles, bringing the total number of seizures across two days to 52.
The operation targeted riders using non-compliant or illegally converted e-bikes, which police say are increasingly associated with offences including mobile phone theft, burglary and anti-social behaviour.
Superintendent Luke Baldock, the Met’s lead officer for tackling e-bike and e-scooter crime, said: “We understand Londoners’ concerns about how e-bikes and e-scooters are being used to commit offences, such as phone theft, burglary and other anti-social behaviour. That is why the Met is continuing to ramp up action and increase the roll-out of specialised operations across our neighbourhoods to tackle this type of crime.
“This focused activity builds on the success of previous operations which have seen thousands of illegal vehicles cleared from our streets and crushed. We are also working with stakeholders across the e-bike industry, public sector partners and listening directly to communities to ensure people can cycle and travel safely in London.”
The latest enforcement activity took place across north-west London and the West End, where officers used intelligence-led tactics, stop sites and drones to identify and intercept riders using illegal powered two-wheelers.
During the operation in Harlesden, police also arrested a suspect who attempted to evade a stop site and was later charged with dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving without a licence and driving without insurance.
Police say the focus on illegal e-bikes is part of a sustained campaign across the capital, with a record 2,741 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters seized in London during 2025 and 2026 as officers target offences carried out using powered two-wheelers.
Efforts to tackle the issue have also included specialist training, with six Metropolitan Police officers last year attending a five-day course at ACT member Activate Cycle Academy in Oxford. The training, delivered under the Cytech technical training programme, covered how to identify non-compliant e-bikes, including illegally modified models capable of speeds above the legal 15.5mph limit, as well as the safe handling and storage of confiscated bikes due to potential battery fire risks.
The action taken by the Met Police on illegal e-bike activity comes amid a broader push from the cycling industry for greater consumer awareness through initiatives such as the E-Bike Positive campaign, a UK-wide initiative, now run jointly by the ACT and the Bicycle Association, which promotes the many benefits of quality, compliant e-bikes sold by reputable retailers, many from the independent sector.
For more information on the E-Bike Positive campaign, click here.