The inquiry will focus on four key areas: causes, impact, enforcement and prevention. 

The committee is seeking to establish the scale and nature of the issue and explore the current legal and policy landscape. The inquiry aims to identify what powers police and authorities currently have, and to scrutinise the Scottish government’s approach to tackling this issue, including its engagement with the UK government on reserved matters.

The committee aims to identify recommendations which will improve enforcement and prevention.

In recent years, Police Scotland have reported seizing a growing number of e-bikes and e-scooters which are being used illegally on roads and have said they continue to receive complaints from local communities about antisocial and illegal e-bike and e-scooter use. 

The committee intends to hear from people with lived experience, communities and frontline workers through targeted engagement activities.

Criminal Justice Committee convener, David Linden MSP, said: “Crime and antisocial behaviour related to e-bikes and e-scooters is negatively impacting communities right across Scotland, and concerns have been raised that existing measures may not be sufficient to address it.

“Our committee is keen to learn about the causes and impacts of antisocial and criminal behaviour associated with e-bikes and e-scooters and what the Scottish government is doing about these issues, including its engagement with the UK government.

“We want to find out if authorities have sufficient powers to tackle these behaviours and if not, what must be done to improve enforcement and help prevent this issue from continuing to blight Scotland’s communities.”