Off-road bikes introduced by Thames Valley Police
Three off-road bikes have joined the force at Thames Valley Police to tackle rural crime
Last updated 5th Dec 2023
Three off-road motorbikes have joined the force at Thames Valley Police to support policing forces in more targeted work.
Operation Trail will help officers catch those who ride quadbikes and motorbikes, often through estates or on parkland, which greatly impacts residents.
The officers on bikes, who received specialist training ahead of the scheme's launch today, will be helping teams on terrains which may be of difficult access to larger police bikes and cars.
The bikes were funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley Police, Matthew Barber, who said: "We're learning from what others have done, they're certainly not widespread as of yet, and I'm hoping that Thames Valley can be one of those forces which is really leading the way in some of these tactics to make sure we equip police officers to deal with the crime the public expects them to."
“The team will support our growing number of neighbourhood police officers by tackling crime in often hard-to-reach areas and apprehending those causing anti-social behaviour riding quad bikes and motorbikes."
"We know that anti-social use of vehicles can cause misery and danger to communities..."
A three fold approach was taken with the launch, with a primary focus on rural crime, second, the tackling of antisocial behaviour and crime, and finally, attending vulnerable residents, especially in the case of a person reported as missing.
The bikes are lighter and easier to manage than other police bikes, with thicker and gripping tyres, allowing the force to travel through wet, muddy, icy and uneven surfaces.
Inspector Scott Long said: "We can now deploy into the urban areas, we can go to the footpaths, we can go to some of the estates, and we can tackle some of the antisocial problems that have been plaguing those areas."
“We know that anti-social use of vehicles can cause misery and danger to communities and we now have the capability to go off road and target those using vehicles illegally."
They will be used across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire, and were first tested during the AI Summit in Bletchley, Milton Keynes.
The success of the this Road Safety Initiative will be monitored and reviewed over the next six months.