Police unveil off-road bikes to deal with anti-social behaviour
Police have unveiled their strategy to crack down on the illegal use of off-road bikes - and it involves getting their own. West Midlands Police[1] says its new off-road bikes will help catch offenders in their tracks and make it more difficult for them to evade officers.
The force continued that its new fleet of motorbikes will allow officers from its road policing team to enter and patrol public parks, paths, and wasteland. A police spokesperson said neighbourhood teams can now call on the specialist off-road bike team to "deploy to hard-to-reach areas, help search for high-risk missing and vulnerable people, as well as respond to crime reports in secluded locations and assist with apprehending suspects."
They continued: "The three new Honda CRFs have been purchased through the Proceeds of Crime fund, officers have been specially trained to ride the bikes and they are fitted with flashing police lights. We’re also using drones to target dangerous off-road bikers and areas where we suspect these nuisance vehicles are being stored."
Unveiling the bikes today, April 7, Sergeant Fran Allen from the Force Traffic Unit, said anti-social off-road bikers were "tearing up parks and causing a nuisance on the roads.” He continued: "This summer, in your areas, you will see regular operations involving my team working with neighbourhood officers and the drones team to identify and arrest offenders.
“It is illegal to ride any motorbike in public open spaces such as parks, play areas and on pavements. If a rider is caught using any type of off-road motorbike or quad bike and causing a nuisance to others they are liable to prosecution and the vehicle will be seized.”
“There will be no let-up in our efforts to combat anti-social biking as we head into the summer.”
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References
- ^ West Midlands Police (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ We tried cafe opposite HMP Birmingham called The Great Escape and the feeling we got surprised us (www.birminghammail.co.uk)