Off-road bikes seized in Walsall as drones used in crackdown on 'killing machines'

Police and Walsall Council said people in parts of the borough have had to suffer from the nuisance of off-road vehicles being ridden dangerously across public land.

And to tackle the issue, drones have been deployed to track riders and provide vital intelligence to officers and help put a stop to it.

Three operations have been carried out since January with a total of 13 vehicles being seized which could see them crushed and a number of offenders apprehended.

Members of Walsall Council’s cabinet hailed the initiative as a great success and vowed to carry out more to crackdown on the problem as well as educating parents not to buy the vehicles for children.

Leader Mike Bird said: “The parents think its right and proper to buy their young child – and they are young children in the case of some of these instances – who then give them a killing machine for them or anyone in their way and just do it oblivious to the risks.

“And then when we say we are going to seize that bike and crush it, all of a sudden we get ‘That cost me £X’. Well, I don’t care.

“At the end of the day, criminal activity is criminal activity. The police have to put their resources into priorities.

“And sometimes the priority is to deal with this anti-social behaviour because it’s not just one week, it’s every week.

“We’ve seized 13 now and credit to the police and Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby, who engineered it to happen.

“It’s a great initiative and an exhibition on how we can work with partners for the benefit of Walsall.”

Councillor Garry Perry, deputy leader for resilient communities, said: “We know what our communities think about the plague of off-road bikes.

“It damages our open spaces but also causes a significant nuisance to many people who live near, let alone the dangers of riding illegally across public land.

“We’ve heard what they have said. There is significant and overwhelming call for action in relation to how we deal with off road vehicles.

“The use of drones was one of (the options available) to track and monitor off road bikes at various locations.

“The beauty is not only have we got the ground force working to deal with the situation but you’ve got the use of the fixed wing and the aeroplane  above the national police are supporting us with.

“And it hasn’t cost us anything to deliver this. It is something (the police) are only too willing to get involved in.

“The sad thing about it is the age of some of the people involved. While you’ve got some people coming to adulthood, you’ve got significant offenders who are juveniles in the sense of the court.

“It is worrying because you wonder what will happen to those individuals if the behaviour doesn’t change.

“We are sending a message out there that we are not prepared to allow this to happen any more unchecked.

“Whilst these initiatives have taken place on three occasions now, in winter months, the intention is it will continue throughout the year particularly in the summer months with the better weather.

“I’ve seen some of the feedback on social media where we’ve shared the success story of this, largely positive from the people who are affected and know this is a problem.

“They know the risks being taken by the individuals riding these often with no helmet, often with a lack of insurance and sometimes unroadworthy as well.

“It’s not always just about the social aspect of off-road biking, it’s the more criminal aspects.

“There is evidence to suggest that on occasions, off road bikes are used for passage of drugs, passing of stolen goods or sizing up communities for their next hit.

“That’s the stuff you never see portrayed. All you see is ‘you’re stopping a young person doing something they’re enjoying’, not realising there are wider ramifications.”