Police are stepping up patrols following a spate of thefts and anti-social behavior in Merseyside involving e-bikes and scrambler bikes.
Nine people, including five teenagers, were arrested last week, Merseyside Police said.
A number of suspected stolen e-bikes and scrambler bikes were also seized in the crackdown.
The force said a 14-year-old boy was arrested for two thefts of e-bikes on the Liverpool Loop Line in Halewood.
‘justice’
Other recent incidents include:
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Two males, aged 20 and 18, and two females, aged 15 and 29, detained and four suspected stolen motorbikes seized from a property in Garston on Thursday.
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A 21-year-old man from Liverpool arrested after a group of males were riding e-bikes in an anti-social manner in Stanley Park, Anfield on Wednesday.
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An 18-year-old Wavertree man arrested on suspicion of robbery following a report of an e-bike theft on Sunday.
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A 42-year-old woman and a 17-year-old man arrested and five electric bikes seized from a property in Huyton on April 27
Supt Phil Mullally said: “Although we have made a number of positive arrests and seizures of e-bikes over the past week or so, this work is not stopping now and our officers will be in areas across South Liverpool and Knowsley this weekend.
“We are determined to ensure that those who put themselves and others at serious risk of injury or worse are brought to justice, and the vehicles they use removed.
“The use of e-bikes in Merseyside can be linked to the supply of drugs and organized crime groups as a means of transporting illegal substances and weapons around our communities.”
He urged e-bike owners to register with Bike Register, the UK’s national bike marking and registration scheme, which helps reduce cycle theft, identify stolen bikes and return recovered bikes to their rightful owners.
The superintendent added owners could consider using bike tracking devices and seeing tags on your bike that warn you a tracker is there.
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