Meeting of the Parliament 09 December 2025
I have some level of sympathy for that proposition applying to the different forms of vehicles that are being used. We must get a grip on their general use. Many of them are illegally imported and, frankly, will not be taxed or licensed appropriately. We must get a grip on their proliferation in society, by whatever means. The grey areas that members have described, such as those in the highway code—where the vehicles can and cannot be used, and where their illegality depends on the speed that they can do—are some of the issues that need to be navigated, to ensure that we can deal with their proliferation.
People feel that those who use these vehicles are untouchable, so we need Police Scotland to be equipped with the tools and the resources to enable it to tackle the issues straight on.
Scottish Labour has a plan to restore local policing and deliver a named community and crime prevention officer in every community across Scotland. Alongside their colleagues in the force, those officers will work with local councillors to identify opportunities to reduce crime and respond to local incidents.
Scottish Labour also wants to ensure that the police are locally accountable, with a statutory requirement for councils to be consulted on local policing plans and to take evidence from local policing divisions, all of which, I believe, will help to tackle localised issues such as the dangerous use of e-bikes and e-scooters and dealing with those who engage in such behaviour. For far too long, our police officers have been neglected and our communities let down. That must change.
18:41