Specialist off-road bikes to tackle anti-social behaviour in Calderdale

The fully liveried trial bikes, funded by Calderdale Council as part of their commitment to Road Safety and keeping Communities Safe, form part of the fleet of vehicles available to the district’s officers to keep local communities safe.

Off-road machinery such as quad bikes, dirt bikes and off-road motorcycles used on or near to areas where there are private or commercial premises, or land where permission has not been granted for their use, cause significant concerns to local communities, often with issues of safety of non-riders being the number one concern.

Chief Superintendent Dickie Whitehead, District Commander and Co-Chair of the Community Safety Partnership said: “These bikes are a fantastic resource and will be utilised across the communities of Calderdale to help tackle the issues of anti-social behaviour and nuisance often caused by the irresponsible and potentially dangerous use of off-road machinery.

“It is understandable that people living in areas where off-road bikes and vehicles are used illegally and irresponsibly are concerned about the safety of their children, grandchildren and others who are outdoors when these vehicles are being ridden, as well as the concerns about noise and general disruption that they cause.

“The investment in the new bikes demonstrate the Community Safety Partnership’s commitment to dealing with the issues that people tell us are important to them, and that we do listen and take action to tackle community concerns.

"The bikes are also an excellent engagement tool, and I’d encourage people to look out for the bikes and come and speak to our officers when they are on patrol.”

Officers have been specially trained to ride the bikes and will be on visible patrol on them from this weekend, across the district.

“We are not looking to penalise safe, responsible riders who abide by legislation and use their bikes correctly. Our priority is keeping our communities safe and feeling safe and addressing the needs and concerns of those people living in the district.” added Chief Superintendent Whitehead.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhood Services, Cllr Susan Press, said: “We work with our partners to do all we can to tackle issues related to crime and anti-social behaviour and encourage residents to let us know if there are any problems in local communities.

“In this case, we listened to the concerns raised by residents about off-road vehicles and used funding set aside by the Council to improve road safety to invest in new bikes to help tackle the issue.

“Keeping our roads and communities safe is a priority for the Council, the Police and the Community Safety Partnership. We have listened to what communities say are issues for them and this is part of our response.

"Our community wardens are also out and about across the borough providing a reassuring presence for residents, talking to members of the community, businesses and local groups and getting feedback about any concerns.”