Ridding paths of motorbike menace
8:20am Wednesday 24th October 2012 in Latest News By Scott D'Arcy
PCSO Dominic Tonge, PC Stephanie England and PC Gary Rosier in north Swindon
RECKLESS youths on motorcycles are using public footpaths as a race track and are putting lives at risk, police have said.
North Swindon neighbourhood officers led an operation in a bid to crack down on the illegal off-road use of scooters and scramblers, which residents have complained is causing a nuisance.
With check points in Abbey Meads, Greenmeadow, Haydon Wick and Penhill, officers, including an off-road policing unit, took to the streets and one officer narrowly escaped injury when a rider on a scrambler sped towards them in an attempt to evade capture.
Another was given a warning before he began to ride on the pavement and officers also fined a tractor driver who was using a footpath as a shortcut.
PC Stephanie England, community beat manager for the area, said the culprits knew they were breaking the law and could face losing their vehicles once they were caught.
She said: “I think it was quite successful in terms of letting the community know we were there. We were obviously patrolling in high-visibility clothing and acted as a deterrent to those we saw on the night.
“We managed to stop one rider before he committed an offence and took his details, but then we spotted a bike with two people on it using the footpath from the direction of Pond Lane.
“He was weaving in and out and avoiding officers at the checkpoints. When he got over to the other side of the bridge into Abbey Meads he sped up and came very close to one officer.
“He was certainly going fast enough to cause serious injury if he had hit someone and the girl on the back was also not wearing a helmet. It just goes to show they are a danger to themselves and to others.
“Lots of young kids use the parks and there were dog walkers out in the evenings too. We believe they are using the footpaths as a track as they are quite wide and form a bit of a loop – it’s a game to them. They think they cannot be touched but we have several powers including a one-off warning before we can confiscate their vehicles from them. We can also fine them £30.”
Anyone with any information should contact North Swindon police on 101 or Crimestoppers, where information can be left anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Comments(19)
dc the 2nd
says...
8:47am Wed 24 Oct 12
Think i'd rather have a few kids on motorbikes and let Darwinian selection sort it out.
Gerequois
says...
9:05am Wed 24 Oct 12
There should be zero tolerance on this and the bikes should be siezed and crushed into a little sqaure, with the owners having to pay for it to be done.
This would soon put off all but the most persistent of these fools.
rmc001
says...
9:08am Wed 24 Oct 12
The Artist formally known as Grumpy Old Man
says...
9:26am Wed 24 Oct 12
rmc001 wrote:There are already such facilities available - for instance:
I'm surprised it's only £30, considering that if a child even pushes a motorbike along a pavement they are committing several crimes, such as in charge of a motorbike without a licence, no insurance, probably no mot, no registration plate, underage, etc. However what might be a good idea is to provide these kids with a legal, private area to ride their bikes, which is where it's not going to be a nuisance to others. Maybe then they will leave the public footpaths alone.
http://www.talentexp
ress.co.uk/funefarm/
off_road.html
The problem is these kids (or their parents) don't want to pay for the damage they cause to public land, don't want to tax,insure etc because it costs money. They still ride on the public roads though - I regularly see them speeding up and down Thamesdown Drive!
When they catch these people, crush the bikes, hit their parents with a massive fine (How about £1000 for starters), ban them from riding. There has to be a good motivator for doing it legally - or more accurately a good deterrent from doing it illegally!
PaisleyRed
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9:48am Wed 24 Oct 12
The Real Librarian
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12:07pm Wed 24 Oct 12
Who buys these bkies for a child and then doesn't supervise the use.
themoonraker
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12:18pm Wed 24 Oct 12
hat might actually make the parents more responsible for, and interested in what their children are doing in these cases
Highworth Lad
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12:20pm Wed 24 Oct 12
LordAshOfTheBrake wrote:agreed, wack the little gits off !!
The police should be capturing this on video and then publishing it. It wouldn't take long for someone to provide a few leads. Failing that perhaps the police officers should just whack the riders with a batten as they are passing! If the riders gets injured then that is they're own fault. A £30 fine is hardly going to make them stop and think twice about it.
PaisleyRed
says...
1:05pm Wed 24 Oct 12
Highworth Lad wrote:wack the little gits off? Stick to wacking yourself off matey!
LordAshOfTheBrake wrote: The police should be capturing this on video and then publishing it. It wouldn't take long for someone to provide a few leads. Failing that perhaps the police officers should just whack the riders with a batten as they are passing! If the riders gets injured then that is they're own fault. A £30 fine is hardly going to make them stop and think twice about it.agreed, wack the little gits off !!
Highworth Lad aka James Saville by chance.
gina948
says...
3:36pm Wed 24 Oct 12
DiDiDI
says...
7:42pm Wed 24 Oct 12
PJC
says...
9:54pm Wed 24 Oct 12
PaisleyRed wrote:Fluorescent! Back to school for you too!
Those two cops don't look the smartest. I can clearly see a bike being ridden just behind them and the guy is even wearing flurescent gear!
REDROM
says...
11:01pm Wed 24 Oct 12
faatmaan
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7:01am Thu 25 Oct 12
The Patrician
says...
11:27am Thu 25 Oct 12
Highworth Lad
says...
12:24pm Thu 25 Oct 12
PaisleyRed wrote:very good.
Highworth Lad wrote:wack the little gits off? Stick to wacking yourself off matey! Highworth Lad aka James Saville by chance.LordAshOfTheBrake wrote: The police should be capturing this on video and then publishing it. It wouldn't take long for someone to provide a few leads. Failing that perhaps the police officers should just whack the riders with a batten as they are passing! If the riders gets injured then that is they're own fault. A £30 fine is hardly going to make them stop and think twice about it.agreed, wack the little gits off !!
Jason Reeve
says...
2:50pm Fri 26 Oct 12
faatmaan wrote:Spot on.
police seem incapable of dealing with cycling on pavements by adults in quiet housing estates, drivers using mobile phones whilst driving etc, how is this going to be any different, until the punishment makes it so bad the perpetrators will continue at their leisure.
The problem with this is that the police send totally mixed messages. On the one hand they claim that 'lives are at risk', and yet on the other hand all they do is give utterly pointless 'warnings' and issue the threat of a £30 fine.
My guess is that the sum total of £30 fine so far handing out is... zero.
They think they cannot be touched
Yes, that's what every criminal knows in this country and, guess what?, they're entirely correct. That's WHY they merrily commit their crimes.
gina948
says...
9:26am Tue 30 Oct 12
Jason Reeve wrote:How depressingly true!
faatmaan wrote: police seem incapable of dealing with cycling on pavements by adults in quiet housing estates, drivers using mobile phones whilst driving etc, how is this going to be any different, until the punishment makes it so bad the perpetrators will continue at their leisure.Spot on. The problem with this is that the police send totally mixed messages. On the one hand they claim that 'lives are at risk', and yet on the other hand all they do is give utterly pointless 'warnings' and issue the threat of a £30 fine. My guess is that the sum total of £30 fine so far handing out is... zero.They think they cannot be touchedYes, that's what every criminal knows in this country and, guess what?, they're entirely correct. That's WHY they merrily commit their crimes.
LordAshOfTheBrake says...
8:39am Wed 24 Oct 12
It wouldn't take long for someone to provide a few leads.
Failing that perhaps the police officers should just whack the riders with a batten as they are passing! If the riders gets injured then that is they're own fault.
A £30 fine is hardly going to make them stop and think twice about it.