The Government has snubbed a request for more money for the police to crack down on e-scooter misuse in the Bristol region. Metro mayor Dan Norris wrote to Crime and Policing Minister Kit Malthouse earlier this month to ask for extra cash for the Avon & Somerset force to avert “chaos on our streets”.
Mr Norris said additional resources were required because the current trial, run by the West of England Combined Authority (Weca), which he heads, was so popular but there were concerns about dangerous riding, and the two-wheelers were expected to be legalised soon. But the Home Office has replied to say it has increased police funding already and that it is up to chief constables and police & crime commissioners to make operational decisions and allocate resources.
In his letter on May 3, Mr Norris, said the constabulary should be “funded to reflect the popularity of e-scooters” in the region. The Labour regional mayor said: “The e-scooter trial the West of England Combined Authority is conducting has proved very popular with over six-million rides, 600,000 different users and more than 15-million kilometres travelled in its first year.
