Police are three times more likely to stop Black people for using electric scooters in London than their white counterparts, a report says.

 

Climate Activists, known as Possible, have uncovered new data that suggests an inequality between Black and white Londoners.

It shows using e-scooters means Black Londoners are stopped disproportionately. Furthermore, they are more likely to face prosecution than their white counterparts for using e-scooters.

“Two tier” policing

In response to Possible’s data discovery, Stop-Watch (a charity that works to promote fair, effective, and accountable policing) stated that “it’s typical in the case of the Met”.

Likewise, Stop-Watch Policy Manager Habib Kadiri said ” There seems to be a two tier approach to policing,

“We want to know why people are targeted, there seems to be a consistent difference in the way Black people are targeted,

“There should be some parity, and that’s just not happening because of the conception of the underlying racist biases that the police have towards people of colour compared to white people.”

Metropolitan Police’s statement

Furthermore, in a statement made by the Metropolitan Police, they responded that an officer will “enforce traffic legislation around the use of e-scooters and seize e-scooters that are being used illegally on the roads.

In addition to this, the Met spokesperson said private e-scooters have “consistently proven to be dangerous” with “numerous fatalities and a significant number of injuries” this year alone.

Stop-Watch believe this doesn’t answer the question of “why is there a disparity?” between Black and white Londoners when it comes to e-scooter persecutions.

Using e-scooters unfairly penalises Black Londoners, says report.

E-scooter sale surge

Alongside what Possible believe is a disproportionate treatment between Black and White Londoners, the number of e-scooters confiscated has risen.

In fact, towards the end of of 2020 there was a 450% sale surge in e-scooters. This resulted in an increase in the sizing of the sustainable transport by the Metropolitan Police.

The number of e-scooters confiscated in 2021 was ten times the amount in 2020.