Essex Police to use quad bikes to tackle anti-social behaviour
Two quads will be used to deal with groups of off-road motorcyclists
Essex Police are to use two quad bikes to tackle anti-social off road motorcyclists in part of the county.
The force has purchased the vehicles with the held of Thurrock Council.
It comes after complaints about bikers using green spaces in the county, with some illegally riding on private land.
Locals claim previously peaceful areas have been turned into 'racetracks', with engine noise causing an extra nuisance.
Chief Inspector Mark Barber, Essex Police District Commander in Thurrock, said: “Anti-social behaviour off-road has been a persistent problem in Thurrock.
“By working with our partners, we’ve seen a 54% reduction in anti-social behaviour and this is another step in trying to reduce the number of offences.
“We’ve been working with the council and the Community Safety Partnership to come up with innovative ideas to take tacking off-road ASB to another level. I’m really proud that 12 months on, we’re launching the first police quad bikes.
“We can’t always get our police vehicles to the sites where this ASB is taking place - the quads will allow us to do this. They will be deployed across the district, and we’ll be targeting those hotspot areas where off-road ASB really affects the community.
“If you live in Thurrock or are coming to Thurrock to commit off-road ASB, we will stop you.”