AN INITIATIVE to tackle illegal off-road motorcycles in Warwickshire has been granted funding by the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Ron Ball.

The award of £25,998 from the Rural, Cyber and Business Crime Fund will enable Warwickshire Police to purchase two new motorcycles with off-road capability, together with appropriate protective clothing for 10 officers. The motorcycles, which will be fully-liveried as police vehicles, will provide access to land that is hard or impossible to get to with regular police vehicles.

The new machinery will be deployed to incidents of illegal off-road motorcycle use, as well as providing high-visibility policing to isolated rural locations. Officers will use the bikes to patrol hotspot/targeted locations at key days and times, especially at weekends, when residents experience the most distress from the anti-social behaviour of illegal off-road motorcycle use.

Ron Ball, Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire, said: “The problem of illegal use of off-road motorcycles and the nuisance it causes to residents is one that is often raised with me by the public, so I am delighted to be able to support this initiative which will go a long way to tackling the issue.

“Officers need the right equipment to be able to deliver effective policing and these motorcycles will ensure that they can target the small number of people who make life a misery for residents in Northern Warwickshire through the illegal use of mini-motos, scramblers and other off-road bikes.

“Tackling rural crime is one of my key priorities and I am pleased to support the bikes’ additional use for high-visibility patrols in some of our most isolated rural communities. This will prove not only a deterrent for criminals but will also provide valuable reassurance for residents in our rural areas.”

Now that the funding has been secured, it is anticipated that the motorcycles will be in service from this summer.

Police state it remains essential that residents report incidents to them as this provides a better picture of when and where the hotspot areas for crime are. Such reports enable the police to target their patrols and enforcement actions, increasing the potential of identifying, capturing and placing enforcement measures on those responsible for causing anti-social behaviour in local areas.