Police seize off road bikes and arrest two men in latest crackdown on dangerous riders

Total of eight bikes seized across West Midlands including quad bikes and scramblers



Police have seized eight off road bikes and arrested two men in the latest crackdown on dangerous riders.

Officers raided addresses in Coventry , Solihull , Birmingham and Wolverhampton during a pre-planned operation on Sunday.

The action saw eight bikes seized, including mini-motos, quad bikes and scramblers, after complaints about off-road bikes being illegally ridden around the region.

Two men, aged 20 and 27, were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance.

West Midlands Police have received regular reports of quad bikes, scramblers and motorbikes being driven in an anti-social manner this year.

Last month 15 bikes were seized in police raids in Coventry, Chelmsley Wood and Birmingham.

Supt Ron Winch said: “These aren’t just one off days of action – this is a concerted message to off-road bikers.

“We have spoken to those involved to warn about the dangers of their actions... but such unacceptable behaviour must now stop. We’ve arrested people on suspicion of causing a public nuisance – this is an offence which, if charged, is dealt with at crown court in front of a jury and those found guilty can go to prison.

“There is a huge amount of work going on across West Midlands Police into tackling this menace on our communities.

“This isn’t always visible to the public – like the operation today – but everyone should be reassured we are taking action. We need the help of our communities to tell us who is responsible so can find them and take them to court.

“We are working alongside our partners including local councillors to stamp down on this issue.”

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Like many things, the police need to go further upstream to prevent offences. The problem is, (as far as I'm aware) it isn't illegal to import and sell these machines.

Perhaps the councils should have more land with proper tracks for youngesters to ride on instead of building houses on land we had to play on . They complain about kids sitting in the house playing on line games being bad for their health or on their mobile phones not noticing whats going on around them a concern discussed in the house of Lords, they issue asbos if your caught climbing trees which we found a natural thing to do they close down youth centres so what is left for youngsters to explore unless money is involved which is in short supply to many people nowadays. There is nt any 6d rush s nor dance places like the Locarno any more as its out of fashion.

After all our city would be the first to gleam the fame if one of these became a successful winner in racing in the future.