John Swinney has pledged to work with Police Scotland to ensure officers have “appropriate powers” to deal with masked youngsters on e-bikes and electric scooters.
The First Minister made the commitment after being told by SNP MSP David Linden that “communities all across Scotland are increasingly seeing problems with young people on e-bikes and e-scooters, masked up, in black”.
Mr Linden, the convener of Holyrood’s Criminal Justice Committee, said communities were “crying out for action” to tackle the problem of youngsters, often dressed all in black and with their faces covered on such vehicles.
The MSP called for the Scottish Government to act, saying that “police officers have told me that they don’t feel they have got the legislative power they need to be dealing particularly with individuals that are masked”.
We will engage with Police Scotland on the appropriate powers that are required to tackle this issue
Mr Linden’s comments come in the wake of calls from the Scottish Police Federation – the organisation which represents rank and file police officers.
General secretary David Kennedy said earlier this month that there is a need to “do more on face coverings” so that officers have “powers to remove them, to see who the individuals are”.
Mr Kennedy insisted: “The face coverings, we need a law change, we need to give police more powers.
“We need police officers on the street, when they come across somebody, that they have the power to tell them to remove their mask so they can see who they are.”
Mr Swinney, speaking at a special meeting where he was quizzed by Holyrood’s committee conveners, said he was “very willing to consider the necessity for other powers”.
The First Minister added that while masked youths on e-bikes and e-scooters was “problem involving a minority of young people”, it was “prevalent in a range of different communities around the country”.
While he suggested breach of the peace laws could be used in some cases, Mr Swinney pledged: “We will engage with Police Scotland on the appropriate powers that are required to tackle this issue beyond the existing statute that is available.”