A debate has been sparked on social media about the use of police resources after vision emerged of five officers dealing with a teenager in a park who had been riding his e-scooter without an adult.
The 13-year-old, who was wearing a helmet, was one of a group who had turned up for a gathering at the Runaway Bay skatepark, on the Gold Coast, on Saturday at 12pm.
It appears a significant police operation had also been tasked with attending the 'ride out' gathering that had been promoted on social media to ensure the youngsters were following the rules.
In the video uploaded on social media, roughly a dozen boys are seen gathered on their bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters at the skatepark, while almost as many police officers stand nearby.
The 13-year-old filmed the situation as he was spoken to by five of the officers.
One plain-clothes officer, who had charged at the boy even though he was not running, explained that he needed to be at least 16 years of age to ride an electric scooter without adult supervision.
When he told the officer he was 13 another undercover officer wearing a black and pink shirt approached the pair and demanded the boy stop provoking police.
Viewers of the footage were divided, with some saying the police response was an overreaction, but others sided with the officers and called e-scooters and e-bikes a 'menace'.
One teen who was filming the incident was surrounded by police since he was riding an e-scooter without the supervision of an adult.
The boy explained the scooter only reached speeds of 25km/h so was not modified to speed and was legal, but the officer said it was still illegal regardless because he did not have a parent of guardian with him.
In Queensland, children aged 12 to 15 are permitted to ride, but they must be under the direct supervision of an adult. Children under 12 are strictly prohibited from riding.
The female colleague of the officer who had rushed the boy asked for his name which sparked an argument between the two.
'I’ll tell you that in a second, I’m still talking to him,' the boy said.
Eventually the boy did provide his name after both officers asked him to stop with the attitude, with the female officer even threatening him with a fine if he did not.
'Stop your attitude... Watch your language or I’ll charge you with obstruct for public nuisance,' she said.
'Don’t you have anything bigger to get? Or are you just getting anything since you can’t catch anyone,' the boy asked.
Following on from this the boy’s e-scooter was impounded and his father was called to collect him. A move on issue was provided to the group of teens that had gathered for the ride out however.
A ride out had been organised by the group in the days before with the goal of 'trolling cops' at the Runaway Bay skatepark.
The ride out had been scheduled days before the incident and shared by the boy, who goes by Eride_Hitta online, with the purpose of 'trolling cops' and 'having fun'.
Several viewers of the video said the police reaction had been completely overblown.
'The way he ran up on the kid really was unnecessary,' a first said.
''Watch your language' like first amendment isn't a thing or something,' a second wrote.
'That was a bit of an overreaction wasn't it,' a third added.
A QSP spokesperson told The Daily Mail officers had cracked down on the misuse of e-bikes and e-scooters due to a strong community concern which had been reported.
'Gold Coast police have taken a proactive approach to disrupt dangerous behaviour involving e-bikes and e-scooters following ongoing incidents in Runaway Bay recently, including patrols carried out yesterday at a local skate park where a planned gathering had been arranged,' the spokesperson said.
'Police, including uniform and plain clothes officers, focused on disruption strategies designed to prevent harm and education regarding the operational requirements of e-mobility device compliance.'
In Queensland all e-scooters must cap out at a maximum speed of 12km/h on footpaths and 25km/h on all other surfaces.
Anyone aged 11 years or under is strictly prohibited from operating an e-scooter while those between the ages of 12-15 require adult supervision to do so.
Under Queensland Road Rules - Section 245A anyone riding a scooter without supervision under the age of 16 can be hit with a $166 fine.
Based on this same legislation anyone operating an e-scooter which can exceed legal limits can face up to $667 fines.