More illegal bikes taken off the streets…permanently.
This week officers from the Durham Roads and Armed Policing team crushed several bikes which had previously been seized after being used anti-socially and criminally in communities across the force area.
The bikes are just a number that have been seized as part of Operation Endurance which was launched in 2017 to tackle nuisance caused by illegal motorbikes, quads, 4×4 vehicles and electric scooters which cause misery to residents.
The bikes are unroadworthy and therefore unable to be reused for a positive purpose so crushing means they can not be used antisocially again.
The crushing was overseen by Deputy Chief Constable Ciaron Irvine and Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen.
DCC Irvine said: “We are doing everything we can to make the roads as safe as possible and for those who are using bikes criminally and antisocially, we need you to understand that through Operation Endurance, we will hunt you down relentlessly and ensure those bikes are seized and you face the consequences.”
Ms Allen added: “This off-road bike crushing exercise is to show those who cause harm in communities linked to off-road bikes, scooters and quads, that the police have a zero tolerance to anti-social behaviour of this kind.
“Not only is it dangerous to the rider, as often they don’t wear helmets and to other road users and pedestrians, it also causes noise nuisance and damage to property and is a blight on our communities.
“As a neighbour I would urge you to report anonymously to Crimestoppers if you are aware of people who have these vehicles in garages, back yards and barns so that we can seize and destroy them, providing confidence to our communities of County Durham and Darlington that we are taking these issues seriously and that we are cracking down on this type of behaviour.”
To report a nuisance bike call 101 or 999 in an emergency.
