Birmingham police say they're 'helpless' against bikers
Some of them even ride at officers deliberately.
A police team admit they’re helpless in attempting to stop motorbike riders causing disruption and misery in Sutton Coldfield. Brazen bikers are even riding directly at officers in the town centre, with officers confessing ‘we can’t do anything’ in a bid to detain them.
Speaking at a local ward meeting in Reddicap this week, PCSO Dan Walton said of the nuisance surrounding anti-social behaviour of youths on motorbikes: “We’re having a real issue with this. We had five or six male youths on bikes tearing up the grass on Withy Hill Park. There was also that crash at Whitehouse Common which involved two people on a stolen motorbike. We’re having problems in the town centre as well where they’ll just ride at you knowing we can’t do anything.”
PCSO Walton admitted that police officers cannot chase down motorbike offenders because, if they were to crash, it’d be the police force that would take the wrap.
“We can’t go at them,” PCSO Walton stressed. “They know exactly what they’re doing as well with some not even wearing helmets. It’s a public safety risk.”
Elsewhere at this week’s ward meeting in Reddicap, Sutton Coldfield, locals complained of the car cruising and street racing that’s constantly occurring along Lindridge Road, Withy Hill Road and the A38 near Moxhull Hall and The Belfry. A resident said: “The speed they’re going at is astonishing; you’re talking 80, 90 and 100 mph. A real, nasty head-on clash is just around the corner.”
Reassuring residents, PCSO Walton added: “What we will do is look to mirror Operation Hercules which proved successful in putting a stop to the illegal street racing that was going on near Minworth. We can dish out Section 59 warnings which, for those that aren’t aware, refers to vehicles being used in a manner which causes alarm, distress or annoyance.”
Chief Superintendent Ian Green, who started Operation Hercules in a bid to stamp out car cruising, said: “We’re taking this action to get the message out that these illegal gatherings are completely unacceptable.
“Lives are being put at risk, residents are having to put up with intolerable noise, and our time is being taken away from helping and protecting the public elsewhere.
“This is not about targeting people who have a passion for cars, it’s about targeting people who put themselves and other road users at risk, make people’s lives a misery and are breaking the law.”