// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
E-bikes seized by police sold on at auction, BBC finds
Two of the bikes recently listed on an auction website used by police
E-bikes seized by police forces in the UK are being sold on at auction, despite some fears they could end up back in the hands of criminals, the BBC can reveal.
Thousands are confiscated annually because they are suspected of being driven illegally, or used in a crime - most are later destroyed, but a BBC investigation has found some are sold on to members of the public in online auctions.
Across the UK, police sold 161 e-bikes last year and 54 in 2024, although the real number could be higher because not every force responded to the BBC's Freedom of Information request.
Some of the forces said they had now ended the practice, but others defended it as a way of putting "money back into policing".
Six forces responded to say e-bikes they had seized had been sold, including large forces such as West Midlands Police and Police Scotland.
The figure includes electrically-assisted pedal cycles, which look similar to bicycles and have a motor that kicks in as a rider pedals, as well as electric motorbikes, which are usually more powerful and are propelled only by their motor.
E-bikes have become controversial because some think they are linked to crime and anti-social behaviour.
Recent BBC reporting has highlighted cases across the country of balaclava-clad young men riding illegally on footpaths and intimidating residents.
There have also been a number of pedestrian deaths, including 86-year-old grandmother Gloria Stephenson, who was struck at a zebra crossing in Sunderland last year by an illegal e-motorbike.