39-year-old in Darmstadt: E-scooter thief arrested – this is how you protect yourself!

39-year-old in Darmstadt: E-scooter thief arrested – this is how you protect yourself!

In Darmstadt, a 39-year-old woman was recently arrested after a woman discovered her stolen clothing on an online platform. The items of clothing were stolen from a car on Goethestrasse at the end of September. The victim courageously informed the police about the sale notice. They acted quickly and were able to arrest the seller at her address with the stolen items. At the request of the Darmstadt public prosecutor's office, a search warrant was even obtained, during which the investigators found, in addition to the clothing, four e-scooters that could also have been stolen. There were other people present in the apartment at the time of the arrest, whose role in the incident remains to be investigated. Those arrested, which included the 39-year-old and a 46-year-old man, were taken to the station for identification processing, but were then able to return home.

As the Federal Criminal Police Office reports, this approach is not unique. In 2023, an impressive 3,233 property crimes related to e-scooters were registered in Austria. Over 1,500 e-scooters fell victim to simple theft, while almost another 1,500 were stolen from locked rooms or secured with locks. These numbers illustrate the problem that is particularly common for e-scooter users. After all, these are often left in public spaces, be it in front of shops, train stations or at work, making them easily accessible to thieves.

Safety with e-scooters

The question of how to park e-scooters more safely arises for many users. According to Polizeiberatung, the theft protection for e-scooters is similar to that for bicycles. U-locks and folding locks are the safest options. These should be attached to stable and firmly anchored objects such as bicycle racks or lampposts. If you own an e-scooter, you should make sure that it offers sufficient connection points for locks.

At this point the recommendations from the report by Dr. Armin Kaltenegger from the Board of Trustees for Road Safety was decisive. The general prevention measures against theft include, among other things, writing down the serial and battery numbers and also taking photos of the valuable items. Users should also consider leaving e-scooters out of locked spaces and ensuring they are attached to solid, stable objects.

Whether in urban areas or in the countryside, the safety of e-scooters is an issue that affects many. Let's work together to ensure that our own vehicle doesn't become the next target of thieves and that we can continue to ride our scooter safely in the future!