Electric bikes have become the "vehicle of choice" for criminals in Merseyside, who favour their speed and manoeuvrability around the region's estates. Young gangs involved in vehicle theft, robbery and drug transportation have switched from petrol-operated scrambler bikes to electric (e-)bikes.
The quick acceleration, silent motor and relatively cheap costs to buy and maintain have made e-bikes ideal for navigating urban alleyways and making rapid getaways into fields and parks. Unlike cars, the bikes' size means they can be easily stashed in bedrooms and hallways within seconds.
Experts told the ECHO that electric two-wheel vehicles — from souped-up bikes reaching speeds five times their legal limit to electric dirt bikes like the Sur-Ron model — have been used in serious crimes, including shootings. Modifications using cheap, knock-off conversion kits to boost speed put riders, road users and pedestrians at risk of serious injury or death.
Police launch specialist operations
To counter the adaptable tactics of organised and street criminals, police have launched specialist operations using drones and motorbikes. Operation Gears has led to nearly 1,900 unregistered two-wheeled vehicles, including modified e-bikes, e-scooters and electric dirt bikes, being seized since last June.
Merseyside Police Chief Inspector Gavin Dixon told the ECHO: "Very much back in the day it was a petrol scrambler bike problem linked to a lot of antisocial behaviour. We had an operation called Brookdale which was used to target that. Things moved on very much towards electric two-wheel vehicles and more into criminality."
"[It happened] maybe over the last 10 years, but very much in the last five years they've become the vehicle of choice. They're much easier to hide, they're more manoeuvrable, they're quieter. They lend themselves to being the vehicle of choice for criminality and antisocial behaviour," he added.
Dr Rob Hesketh, a lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University and a specialist on organised crime groups, told the ECHO: "[The use of e-bikes] builds directly on previous trends seen with scrambler bikes; off-road style motorcycles popular among gangs for their speed and off-road capabilities."
Serious crimes and community concerns
Merseyside experienced 16 shooting incidents in 2025, a huge reduction on previous years, but half were committed by gunmen using electric bikes. Some of the region's most notorious unsolved murder cases — including the shootings of Sam Rimmer in August 2022 and Ellis Cox in June 2024 — were carried out by e-bike users.
Sources told the ECHO that youths are using e-bikes to transport drugs and illicit cash for crime syndicates because the bikes blend easily into everyday surroundings. The problem is cross-Merseyside, with estates featuring warrens of alleyways and green spaces most affected.
On the Wirral's Woodchurch estate, lollipop man Colin Smith told the ECHO the bikes were "a pain in the bum, an absolute nuisance". He said: "They have no respect at all. They drive straight through, even when I'm helping kids cross the road. It's dangerous for the children. They have no respect whatsoever. It's got much worse in the last two or three years. I've had some close calls with children almost being hit."
A business owner, speaking anonymously due to fears of retaliation, added: "I've seen people almost hit while they wheelie around. Not much attention is given to the risks, and they are never seen to wear helmets. There should be driving tests for them. They can go just as fast as cars, and they can cause some real damage."
Operation Gears and future steps
Legal e-bikes cannot exceed 250 watts and 15.5mph, but specialist officers have seen bikes modified to reach 80mph with 1,000 watt motors. Chief Insp Dixon said: "They're not designed to do that sort of speed with that weight behind them. They're not safe. Unfortunately we've seen a number of instances where people have been killed or really badly injured by either a rider hitting them or the rider themselves."
Operation Gears targets "hotspot" areas by seizing illegal bikes, pursuing criminals when safe, and often finding drugs and weapons during searches. Between April and September, Merseyside Police seized 692 unregistered vehicles, including 92 illegal electric bikes in Wirral, 78 in Knowsley, 65 in Sefton and 373 in Liverpool.
This month, Merseyside's police and crime commissioner Emily Spurrell backed a campaign calling for a national consultation on e-bike misuse. She said: "I regularly hear concerns from residents about the unsafe use of e-bikes and e-scooters in our communities. My priority is building a safer Merseyside, and that means ensuring everyone can use our roads and public spaces safely and responsibly."
Chief Insp Dixon concluded: "We're quite advanced because the problems have been here for a little while. We've had to adapt...[the criminals] thought they were untouchable, and now the tactics we're using are changing things."
