00:00Thank you, presiding officer, to ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to address the illegal use of off-road bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters.
00:09Minister Siobhan Bryan.
00:11Presiding officer, Scottish Government provides Police Scotland and its partners in dealing with misuse of vehicles.
00:19I met with a number of MSPs in May to discuss their concerns with my colleague Minister Fairley.
00:24An action has since involved development of a campaign involving Crimestoppers and Fearless, which got close to 7 million impressions.
00:33Enforcement is a matter for Police Scotland and local policing teams are best placed to identify misuse and work to prevent future incidents.
00:43We have increased police funding to a record £1.62 billion this year to support the work that they do.
00:49Additionally, I understand that Police Scotland is undertaking a range of initiatives, including working with delivery companies, which I know was an issue that the Member has raised with me previously.
01:00We will continue to engage with the UK Government, which has reserved powers relating to off-road vehicles, including vehicle licensing.
01:08Sue Webber.
01:10Thank you for that response and acknowledge that I was at that meeting on the 29th of May.
01:14But anti-social behaviour is up 5% in the past year.
01:16E-bikes, e-scooters, they are playing a huge role in encouraging that.
01:21Trail bikes, souped-up e-bikes and e-scooters are tearing around the streets, often in a very dangerous manner, and are repeatedly being used to facilitate home break-ins, shoplifting and car thefts.
01:32My constituents are fed up.
01:35Meanwhile, the police are powerless, they don't give chase, and they lack the required resources to stop them.
01:41If the bikes are seized, they are more often than not handed back.
01:45Minister, enough is enough.
01:47Do you not agree that it's time we got tough on this sort of crime, and provide the police with the real resources to tackle it?
01:53Always through the Chair, Minister.
01:56Thank you, Presiding Officer.
01:57I am aware that the Member feels passionately, and I'm aware of the issues that are happening throughout Scotland.
02:04I do disagree that the Police Scotland are not doing anything.
02:07As I said, there is underlying work that has been going on for several months now, and I know they are keeping a review on their approach to illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters.
02:17This complements the wider efforts to engage with communities and partners to prevent and tackle this issue, and I know through Glasgow's division collaboration with hospitals and also with food delivery companies.
02:30I will, of course, keep members informed as further information becomes available, but I would also be happy to facilitate discussions with Police Scotland, where helpful.
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