A police force is facing a backlash after officers seized a mother’s electric scooter as she took her child to school on it.
The woman was stopped by specialist roads policing officers from the Gloucestershire Constabulary in Stroud, Gloucestershire, on Friday.
Her slow-moving e-scooter, which police say she used to ‘transport a young child on a daily basis’ was taken by the police.
The woman, and her four-year-old, were then forced to walk to school instead – despite the e-scooter moving along the pavement at less than 6mph.
E-scooters are illegal to use in most areas of Gloucestershire, though, under a government trial, you can hire them in Gloucester and Cheltenham.
Since the scheme was launched in late 2020, they’ve been used more than 250,000 times.
On Twitter, Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Specialist Operations Unit – made up of traffic officers and armed police – thanked the public for ‘making us aware’.
It said: ‘Concerns were raised regarding a female using an e scooter to transport a young child on a daily basis.
‘OT61 attended and observed 4 yr old being transported in this way and Vehicle seized.
‘Thanks to the public for making us aware. Safer community’
The post has caused widespread outrage, with people labelling them ‘pathetic’ and suggesting that they’ll be ‘confiscating sweets at the school gate next week’.
‘Thank you being miserable pathetic failure as human beings’, one person wrote.
Adding: ‘I wish to congratulate you for making the reputation of police even worse.’
Another said: ‘As much as I dislike them, this is a stupid post. The speed the mother is going would merely graze them and that’s even if they would ever injure at 5-7mph.
‘I suggest, you post about the dangerous use of these scooters and not publicly shame a mother and daughter for all to see.’
Full of sarcasm, one user wrote: ‘This could’ve easily escalated into a major incident with multiple fatalities, had it not been swiftly dealt with by the full force of your SpecOps team!
‘Have you considered armed response for speeding mobility scooters next?’
Another said: ‘you’re an absolute embarrassment to policing and to yourselves’.
‘Next week, confiscating sweets at the school gate’, one man joked.
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