E-scooter Seizure and disposal guidance
Date of request: 11 September 2026
Reference: 18528571
Request
Freedom of Information request – e-scooter seizure, retention, release and disposal guidance
Please provide copies of the current versions, and any versions in force during August 2026, of the following recorded information held by Avon and Somerset Police:
1. The intranet guidance entitled ‘Micromobility’.
2. The ‘Electric Vehicle – Officer Guidance Leaflet’.
3. The ‘e-scooter Seizure and Warning Process Map’.
4. The ‘Micromobility briefing note 2025’, together with any subsequent replacement or updated briefing note.
5. Any policy, procedure, operational guidance, process map or instruction dealing specifically with the retention, release or disposal of privately owned e-scooters seized under section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
6. Any recorded guidance provided to officers, Vehicle Recovery, Legal Services or other staff concerning whether an unregistered/private e-scooter seized under section 165A may be returned to its owner by being transported away rather than ridden on a public road.
This request is for existing recorded information and policies/guidance, rather than an explanation or legal opinion concerning an individual case.
If any document is withheld in whole or in part, please identify the exemption relied upon and provide the remainder of the document where reasonably possible.
Response
Question 1:
The intranet guidance entitled ‘Micromobility’ has been published and is available via the following link:
E-Scooters seized | Avon and Somerset Police
As this information is already available in the public domain via the link provided, it falls within the Section 21 exemption of the Freedom of Information Act. Section 21 is an absolute and class based exemption and as such does not require a harm and public interest test. This serves as a partial refusal notice under section 17(1) of the FOI Act.
Questions 2 – 4:
Please see attached the following documents:
- Escooter Seizure and Warning Process Map
- Electric Vehicle Officer Guidance Leaflet
- Micromobility briefing note – July 2026 update
Please note that only the July 2026 update of the briefing note was identified in our searches.
Questions 5 and 6:
Regarding question 5, we have identified the following section from our Evidential Property Policy as relevant to this question.
Avon and Somerset Police Evidential Property Policy
Section 4.10 Vehicles
4.10.1
Motor vehicles are not dealt with by Evidential Property – refer to the vehicle recovery scheme on Pocketbook Vehicle recovery – Pocketbook. This includes non-EAPC bikes (e.g. adapted battery pushbikes) and electric motor bikes, i.e. Surron and Talaria. For more information on e-scooters, e-motorbikes and how to identify an Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle (EAPC), refer to the Micromobility page on Pocketbook Micromobility – Pocketbook.
4.10.2
The recovery of a vehicle seized in relation to any of the above should be carried out by the
Force Vehicle Recovery Contractor, however due to practicalities and costs, exceptions are
e-scooters, Gopeds and mini-motos, which although classed as motor vehicles, can never
legally be used on a road or other public place.
4.10.3
E-Scooters
4.10.4
Items such as e-scooters, Gopeds, mini-motos or buzz boards must be stored and managed according to the legislation they are seized under:
4.10.5
E-Scooters Seized Under PACE
4.10.6
When these items are seized under PACE, they will be retained as evidential property and must be added to Niche as a property item (not vehicle item) by the Seizing Officer.
4.10.7
E-Scooters Seized Under Road Traffic Act, Section 165
4.10.8
Where these items are seized under Section 165 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 or 152 of the Serious and Organised Crime Police Act 2005, they must be added to Niche as a vehicle by the Seizing Officer. They should not be added to a Niche property location. The local Site Technician, Facilities must be contacted to transport the scooter to HQ, where it will be Destroyed.
In addition to the Evidential Property Policy extract reproduced above, the updated Micromobility Briefing Note 2026 contains information regarding the disposal arrangements for seized e-scooters and is disclosed in response to question 4.
Our searches did not identify any separate force policy, procedure, operational guidance, process map or instruction dealing specifically with the retention, release or disposal of privately owned e-scooters seized under Section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988, beyond the information disclosed above.
The seizure, retention and recovery of vehicles under Section 165A are governed by national legislation and associated national guidance. Information regarding vehicle seizure powers is publicly available via the Avon and Somerset Police website:
Vehicle recovery | Avon and Somerset Police
The July 2026 Micromobility Briefing Note also explains that officers may seize e-scooters under other legislation where appropriate. In particular, it notes that Section 59 powers were strengthened by the Crime and Policing Act 2026, removing the requirement for a warning before seizure where the statutory conditions are met.
No further recorded information is held within the scope of questions 5 and 6.
If you are dissatisfied with this response, you have the right to request an Internal Review. Details of our Internal Review procedure can be found here:
Freedom of Information internal review procedure | Avon and Somerset Police