SCOTTISH Tories have expressed anger after police confirmed they wouldn’t be taking action against Nicola Sturgeon for riding an e-scooter ahead of the May election.
Although e-scooters can be purchased in Scotland, it is still illegal to ride them in public places across the UK. There are some exceptions for trial schemes, but in those cases e-scooters must only be used on roads and cycle lanes.
In the days prior to the Scottish Parliament election, the First Minister was photographed trying out an e-scooter in Troon while campaigning in the area.
After the pictures emerged, police reminded members of the public that riding e-scooters in public is still not permitted.
According to the Scottish Sun, Police Scotland said it was “common sense” not to take action against the First Minister.
The newspaper reported that Chief Inspector Brian J Anderson wrote to a member of the public saying it “would not be proportionate to consider charges against the First Minister”, adding she used the e-scooter for “a very short period of time, over a short distance, with limited members of the public present and no wider risk to the public”.
Scottish Tory MSP Russell Findlay (below), the party’s shadow justice minister, was furious. “Police Scotland have been explicit that it only legal to ride these on private land so the First Minister has clearly broken the law. As a former solicitor, she should know that ignorance of the law is no excuse.
“While police discretion and common sense are important, they should be mindful of not giving the impression that SNP politicians get special treatment.
“It’s unfortunate that officers have had to spend a significant amount of time dealing with her silly stunt and hopefully she will have learned a lesson from it."
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: "We would remind people that the private use of e-scooters in a public place is not legal in Scotland.
“When responding to calls, officers use their discretion and common sense, taking into account the individual circumstances of each incident.”
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