Gardaí have seized illegally modified e-scooters, e-bikes and a scrambler in west Dublin as part of a major crackdown.
Two males were arrested in connection with the seizures; an adult who was been charged and bailed, and a juvenile who has been referred to youth crime prevention services.
The seizures came as part of a one-day operation by the Dublin Crime Response Team, uniformed gardaí from Blanchardstown and Finglas, and the newly formed Garda Drone Unit.
The operation forms part of a wider Garda crackdown on e-bike and e-scooter use in criminal activity, including for drug distribution, money laundering and transporting firearms.
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Gardaí are encountering increased use of unlicensed and uninsured scrambler motorbikes, alongside electric scooters and bikes in west Dublin, a source with knowledge of the area said.
Stopping and seizing such vehicles is seen as challenging due to a lack of pursuit training for gardaí and fears of legal repercussions. Gardaí have instead focused on seizing them from homes and other locations, in addition to using drones to track them.
The 14 vehicles seized were found to have been used illegally or in a dangerous manner on roads and in pedestrian-only areas.
It is understood several of the seized e-scooters had been modified to remove restrictors that limit the speed at which they can legally travel. By law they must not be capable of speeds of more than 20km/h and riders must be over 16. They are not allowed to be used on footpaths or to carry passengers.
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As of Monday, gardaí had seized more than 1,412 e-scooters with 793 prosecutions following from seizures.
Earlier this week, Government leaders agreed on new proposals to increase the age of use to 18, and to require helmets and high-visibility jackets to be worn by users.
New legislation expected to come into effect in September would treat e-scooters as “mechanically propelled vehicles” requiring licences and registration.
The move comes after new data about the number of children who have been hospitalised with traumatic injuries after e-scooter crashes. Children’s Health Ireland data suggests the number of children and young people admitted to hospital with traumatic brain injuries following e-scooter incidents increased by 50 per cent year on year.
