We’re on patrol with Gwent Police in Newport when we spot it — an unregistered electric motorbike, carrying two boys, tearing through a residential street.
Officers move to intercept, but before they can get close, the bike veers off down a narrow wooded footpath and vanishes.
Even the drone tracking it from above loses sight.
It’s just minutes into the operation, and already the scale of the challenge is clear — these bikes are fast, untraceable, and gone in seconds.
“It is hugely frustrating because, trust me, we really do want to sort this issue out and get stuck into these people,” says Sergeant Jason Ghalamkary, part of the team leading Operation Harley – the force’s ongoing crackdown on dangerous and anti-social riding.
Illegal e-motorbikes and modified e-bikes are being ridden on roads, pavements, and through parks — often at speeds of up to 50 or even 70mph. And increasingly, they’re leaving not only dust but danger in their wake.
Across the UK, there have been multiple serious injuries and even deaths linked to illegal e-bike and off-road vehicle use in recent years.
In areas like Bettws and Alway, on the outskirts of Newport, residents told us they feel outnumbered.
“If they had to stop, they’d have no chance. They’re on the roads everywhere. They zip up and down on the paths. They don’t care,” one local said.
“They’re doing more than 20 miles an hour through the parks, around the schools at busy times," says Catrin, a mum playing with her young son at the local park.
"There’s police coming up and down, but the bikes are just too fast… I don’t think the police can handle them," she adds.
Gwent Police say nearly half of the complaints they receive relate to the dangerous and illegal use of these vehicles. But under new powers introduced by the government, officers will be able to crush seized e-bikes, scooters and off-road vehicles within 48 hours — instead of waiting two weeks.
Gwent Police say that’s a game-changer.
“We absolutely welcome that,” says Temporary Chief Superintendent Jason White, Head of Neighbourhood Policing.
“It brings swifter justice to those responsible for causing real issues in their communities — and crucially, it breaks the cycle. Before this, we were seizing bikes only to see them end up back in the hands of offenders. This stops that.”
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