“It’s my legs. If I don’t have it, I can’t move; it’s like losing my freedom.”

Israel Vidal was in shock when the Metropolitan Police took his wheelchair away. The reason? He had attached an electric accessory to assist with getting around.

For 19 days, he was without his wheelchair. “It was terrible. I completely lost my independence,” he shares. “It felt as though I had done something wrong. I was unable to use the toilet alone, couldn’t go out by myself; I lost my freedom.

“It seemed so unfair. It was incredibly frustrating; it felt like there was a lack of common sense. More than anything, I felt overlooked.”

On May 9, Isra fell from his wheelchair in Brixton, south London, and was knocked out.

It was his birthday, and he had just attended a concert with his sister.

He was taken to King’s College Hospital, where he learned that his specially adapted wheelchair had been seized.

“I fell on my head and lost consciousness, waking up in the hospital to find that the police had taken my chair,” Isra explains. “To them, the chair is illegal.”

The Metropolitan Police apologized for holding onto the wheelchair “longer than expected.”

“I still don’t understand why it’s considered illegal,” Isra says. “When I regained consciousness, I received a paper stating I lacked insurance or registration, but it merely had a power attachment. It wasn’t a vehicle.

“They took my personal wheelchair. My sister explained at the time that the power attachment could be removed, but they refused to return it.

“Hospital staff, including the occupational therapist, informed them of the situation, but they still denied the request. Even my GP contacted them, yet they wouldn’t budge. It took three weeks, along with the involvement of MPs and charities, before they decided to return my wheelchair.”

During this time, Isra was given a standard wheelchair by the hospital, which was uncomfortable for him.

This situation left him housebound and stripped him of his independence, leading to an increase in his blood pressure and requiring another hospital visit.

Electric attachments are commonly used by wheelchair users to enhance mobility, featuring an electric motor to assist movement.

Currently, these attachments are classified as motor vehicles and are illegal without the necessary insurance and registration.

Advocates argue that this legislation is outdated and are pushing the government for reform.

Although Isra eventually retrieved his wheelchair after almost three weeks, the police still retain his electric attachment.

He mentions that his only communication with the Metropolitan Police has been through email.

“I would like to see some guidelines to prevent people with disabilities from experiencing similar issues,” he asserts. “Individuals require their own equipment unless there is a valid reason.”

He adds, “An apology would be appreciated, but the decision is theirs.

“I’ve used this power attachment for years, traveling on planes and trains without any issues.”

Charities are urging the government to provide directions for police officers to exercise discretion and avoid confiscating electric attachments.

They stress that, under no circumstances should anyone’s conventional wheelchair be removed, as was done in this instance.

Isabelle Clement from the charity Wheels for Wellbeing criticized the police response as completely disproportionate.

“We want it to be clearly established that nobody should be allowed to take away anyone’s wheelchair.

“It feels akin to confiscating their legs and imposing house arrest. It is baffling that there is currently no guidance prohibiting the police from taking someone’s wheelchair.

“We need this clarified swiftly. It should be a no-brainer; it’s only logical.

“In this case, they took away the entire apparatus due to the electric attachment, despite being informed it could be detached. We want the government to clarify this matter quickly to ensure that no one ever has their wheels, and by extension their mobility, taken from them.”

Isra noted that the incident left him feeling marginalized and overlooked.

“I want guidelines to protect disabled individuals from similar experiences,” he tells me. “People need to have their personal equipment accessible unless there’s a legitimate cause for its removal.”

He concludes, “Although I’ve generally had positive interactions with the police, I felt treated like a second-class citizen, which was quite unsettling. I hope no one else has to go through this.”

The Metropolitan Police issued a statement: “On May 9, a man sustained minor injuries following an incident in Brixton involving a modified wheelchair. Due to concerns regarding safety risks to both the individual and the public, the wheelchair was confiscated. A replacement wheelchair was provided by the hospital he visited.

“We acknowledge the complaint and regret that the modified wheelchair was held for longer than expected. We extend our apologies for any distress this may have caused its owner and have reimbursed costs associated with the impoundment.”