POLICE tasked with protecting a community which has been blighted by off-road bikers have had a ‘significant impact’ on dealing with offenders.
Kendray has been hit hard by antisocial yobs over the last year, leading more work to be done by officers during the recent heatwave.
Fields such as Kendray Recreation Ground have received visits from the police’s motorcycle and rural crime team (MARCT), while 250 trees have been planted around the site in order to prevent access.
Chief Superintendent Simon Wanless, who spearheads Barnsley’s six neighbourhood policing teams, told the Chronicle he has been happy with the force’s response to growing reports from the public.
“We’ve had good results recently with seizing off-road vehicles - our neighbourhood teams are hot on it and have been especially with the warm weather.
“Kendray was identified as a place where off-roaders were impacting residents’ lives and it’s important to add that their information has been invaluable to us.
“This is a perennial problem and one that’s never far away from people’s thoughts.
“But with this issue, reports from the public are key - often the vehicles are gone as fast as they arrive, but what we’ve found a huge help has been information about where they are going back to.
“Addresses of their riders and where they are being stored has resulted in many seizures.”
It was confirmed that Section 59 of the Police Reform Act is being seen as a vital tool to rip up tenancy agreements, with officers working alongside Barnsley Council and its arms-length housing management firm, Berneslai Homes.
“We’ve had good support from the council and Berneslai Homes - eviction notices will continue to be served on tenants whose off-road vehicles are caught if warnings aren’t listened to.
“Given many parts of Barnsley are on the West Yorkshire border, our more rural communities can also be assured that there’s intelligence sharing between neighbouring police forces.”
Sergeant Rebecca Fleming urged the public to continue reporting their information.
“We know off-road bikes cause real concern in our communities.
“Not only do they create excessive noise antisocial behaviour when they are driven erratically, but they also pose a real risk to public safety.
“Many of these bikes we seize are driven without insurance or a licence, and are used in illegal activity such as ruining local parks, farmers’ lands and crops.
“We urge parents to think twice before purchasing these bikes for young people, and we ask the public to continue reporting sightings of illegal riding.
“Your information helps us take action.”
* If you wish report incidents of antisocial behaviour, please call 101, report online or give information completely anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers.
