Four updates from Putney’s neighbourhood police teams landed this week, covering everything from a Putney High Street parking standoff to a law that most e-scooter owners do not realise they are breaking.
Together, they are a snapshot of what local officers are dealing with and what they want you to know.
Chicken pieces, lemonade, and an expired tax disc
A PCSO patrolling Putney High Street found a car parked on double yellow lines, partially blocking the pavement. Pedestrians were having to walk around it.
The driver was sitting at a nearby table. According to PCSO Eva Knedlova, he was “enjoying his late lunch of chicken pieces and lemonade at a table near the door and admiring the view of his vehicle and heavy traffic driving carefully around it.”
He refused to move the car or give his details. The PCSO called for backup. The driver drove off, but officers intercepted him nearby. The car turned out to have expired tax. He will be fined.
It is a small incident, but it is also what Thamesfield’s neighbourhood team deals with daily: illegal parking that forces pedestrians into the road, and drivers who assume they will not be challenged.
Phone snatched, phone recovered
In East Putney, an aggravated phone theft ended unusually well. Officers responded quickly, including undercover police, and recovered the stolen phone. A bag was also found behind a nearby building.
The victim sent a message of thanks to the officers involved: “Thanks to the speedy time your officer’s came to the scene, and the under cover police who found the young guy’s phone and found a bag at the back of building.”
It is a rare good-news story from a ward where police have previously admitted they are overstretched and often powerless to stop thefts. Phone snatching has been a persistent problem across south-west London, with organised gangs targeting the area over the past two years.
The law most e-scooter owners don’t know about
If you bought a private e-scooter and ride it to work, you are committing at least three offences.
Under UK law, e-scooters are classified as motor vehicles. That means riding one on a public road without insurance, an MOT, and a driving licence is illegal. So is riding one on the pavement or in a cycle lane. The same applies to Segways, hoverboards, and electric unicycles.
“An e-scooter continues to fall within the statutory definition of a motor vehicle,” PCSO Knedlova confirmed in the Thamesfield update.
The only place you can legally ride a privately owned e-scooter is on private land with the landowner’s permission.
The government has talked about legalising private e-scooters for years but has not done it. An E-scooter Review and Awareness Bill was introduced in Parliament in February, though it only requires ministers to review existing rules and raise public awareness. Rental e-scooter trials, which operate under separate rules, have been extended to May 2028.
Until the law changes, police can and do stop riders. Penalties can include a fixed penalty notice, six points on your driving licence, and having your scooter seized.
Warm weather, open windows, easy burglaries
As the weather warms up and windows stay open, Thamesfield’s team is warning residents about opportunistic burglaries.
Their advice is practical. For sash windows, fit sash stops. For ground-floor and accessible windows, fit key-operated locks. Window restrictors let you ventilate without leaving a gap wide enough for someone to climb through. Laminated glazing or security film adds another layer of protection.
None of this is dramatic. All of it works.
Get in touch with your local team
Putney’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams post regular updates through MetEngage. You can sign up for alerts from your ward at met.police.uk/a/your-area.
To report a crime, call 101 or visit met.police.uk. In an emergency, call 999. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
