Staffordshire Police using off-road motorbikes to catch lout riders

The punchy, highly versatile machines will allow police to track crooks across many different terrains.

The riders will be specially-trained officers from the Staffordshire Police's dedicated roads policing unit.

Welcoming the latest crime-fighting tactics, Chief Inspector Mat Derrick, who heads the force’s roads policing unit, said: “We are continuing to increase our focus on roads policing and making investments in specialist equipment to improve our capability to more effectively police the roads and surrounding remote areas.

“The rapid deployment and agility of police bikes is a key tool in modern day crime fighting and helping to keep the public safe with enhanced technology and increased visibility.

“Officers will be able to respond to incidents quickly, and patrol rough ground areas that are unreachable with conventional police vehicles, where individuals may be tempted to engage in illegal or nuisance riding, anti-social behaviour or other criminality.

“We hope that this ongoing work as part of Operation Lightning will lead to a reduction in the number of reported incidents of illegal off-road motorbikes being ridden in a poor and anti-social manner across Staffordshire, and offer reassurance to the local communities affected.

“We rely on information from the public to guide our resources to where they are needed most, so it is important that people continue to report these issues, so that we can tackle them.”

Since investing in the motorcycles, which are Honda CRFs, officers have made an arrest and seized three bikes.

The bikes will be focused on targeting other scrambler riders, who use illegal off-road machines across wasteland and urban areas - causing nuisance and anti-social behaviour.

Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire and Rescue and Crime, said: "Asking people across Staffordshire for extra money through local tax has never been something I do lightly, and most of my time in office I have not done that. I do believe, however, that investment in the tools to allow officers to do their jobs more effectively is welcomed by most people.

"As a direct result of that additional money, these new off-road bikes will help to make a real difference in disrupting criminality and anti-social behaviour across hard to access terrains."