Police OK chopper chase of bikers

[Whealie]

North Wales police have denied wasting money chasing legal trail riders with a helicopter and several police cars over the weekend. And they promise to clamp down on off-roaders who “do a Jeremy Clarkson” and ride all over protected countryside.
A group of trail riders reported on website Advrider they were tailed by a police helicopter that videoed them. Hey were then intercepted by the police and had their details taken.

North Wales police says it received a call from a concerned rambler as the bikes were riding though a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). The police had recently launched a campaign against illegal off-roaders who are destroying parts of the area’s mountains, often on unregistered vehicles.

A police spokesman said: “Not all riders are members of official groups obeying the law. Some will do a Jeremy Clarkson and just rip across an SSI.”

The police also denied wasting money. The chopper was in the air already and would not have been launched specifically. The police website lists all helicopter activity on it helilog. This shows the chopper saw the bikes at 3.30pm on 28 March.

The police also said the caller had not wasted police time. “If people report suspicious behaviour around a house and it turns out to have been the owner, we don’t prosecute them for wasting police time. It’s not a waste of time that we investigate reports from the public,” the spokesman said.


Pics from Advrider














Links (new windows)

Advrider story starts at the bottom of page

North Wales police

[Lutin]

So, that'll be Police harassment of folk going about their lawful business then?

[AlanH]

Well, if it was a bunch of people on nicked bikes, it wouldn't be a waste of time would it. At least they took an interest.

[AIRWOLF]

The point is that the four riders (three of them were girls) were shadowed by the helicopter for about 40 minutes, they were riding legal carraigeways on fully road legal bikes.

Unfortunately the police did'nt know they were entitled to be there. . . i expect the police to have their facts right before taking action. . . or am i expecting too much?

They were pulled over when on tarmac and accused of 'illegally riding in a national park and destroying rare flora and fauna'. Apparently the seargents attitude was quite agressive until one of the girls gave him a flea in his ear (in her stern school teacher voice) and informed him that they were TRF members 'riding on legal carraigeways with due care and consideration for other user's'. . . . . At which point they went over the bikes, took particulars and said the video evidence would be reviewed and expect to hear from them . . or not.

One hour later a telephone call from the police appologised for the inconvenience as the video had been reviewed and it appeared they had indeed been riding legally.

I got this story first hand shortly afterwards.

Len.

[Whealie]

I should have added that nobody has yet been prosecuted for any illegal activity since the police campaign started a couple of months ago.

They do appear, if you read their website a campaign notice, to have an attitude that anyone on a bike or 4x4 is in the wrong.

On the other hand, we all know there are some riders and drivers out there spoiling it for the rest of us.

[AlanH]

They do appear, if you read their website a campaign notice, to have an attitude that anyone on a bike or 4x4 is in the wrong.

When I read through their website, I thought it was pretty much aimed at riders/drivers who are destroying SSSI's and pretty clear that the aim of the operation is to preserve these areas.

Okay, there is only a small nod to legal riders at the bottom of the page - but there is one there. Considering the article is aimed at those riding/driving where they shouldn't and causing damage, assuming they are in the wrong is fair enough isn't?

Nick Critchley added: “There is a network of roads suitable for road-legal off-road capable vehicles and this information can be found on Ordnance Survey maps and through local authorities. “We would encourage non-road registered bike users to join clubs and enter organised events or use their nearest official practice track.

As for a copper being impolite, unfortunately a sizeable proportion of the population score rather highly on the twatometer. As the police force draws recruits from the general population, a proportion of officers will also score highly on the twatometer. This minority of officers spoil it for the rest of them - much like illegal offroaders spoil it for the rest of us by the damage and backlash they cause.

[Paul-S]

The point is that the four riders (three of them were girls) were shadowed by the helicopter for about 40 minutes, they were riding legal carraigeways on fully road legal bikes.

Unfortunately the police did'nt know they were entitled to be there. . . i expect the police to have their facts right before taking action. . . or am i expecting too much?

They were pulled over when on tarmac and accused of 'illegally riding in a national park and destroying rare flora and fauna'. Apparently the seargents attitude was quite agressive until one of the girls gave him a flea in his ear (in her stern school teacher voice) and informed him that they were TRF members 'riding on legal carraigeways with due care and consideration for other user's'. . . . . At which point they went over the bikes, took particulars and said the video evidence would be reviewed and expect to hear from them . . or not.

One hour later a telephone call from the police appologised for the inconvenience as the video had been reviewed and it appeared they had indeed been riding legally.

I got this story first hand shortly afterwards.

Len.

Makes you wonder with such a waste of available resources and manpower / manhours addressing this incident at the taxpayers expense what outcome could they have expected - confiscate the bikes? a telling off?.

That resource manpower would have been better placed catching actual criminals of offences causing far more criminal damage / harm to others or better spent preparing cases that fall down in trials due to lack of evidence or proper procedures being followed

[AlanH]

Makes you wonder with such a waste of available resources and manpower / manhours addressing this incident at the taxpayers expense what outcome could they have expected - confiscate the bikes? a telling off?

Crushed bikes and up to £20k fine if you read the links Whealie posted.

Your point that it is at the taxpayers expense is very relevant. I bet that there are more taxpaying walkers than taxpaying off-roaders.

That resource manpower would have been better placed catching actual criminals of offences causing far more criminal damage / harm to others

I somehow doubt whether the helicopter was called off an armed robbery or a search for a missing child to go and follow a group of bikes . If you read the article on the link Whealie posted, you'll see that millions have been and will be spent on conservation in the area. Considering the amounts of taxpayers money involved (and lottery funding of course), I'm not surprised they are seeking to protect their investment by taking the most cost-effective action on illegal off-roaders. Think how much more it would cost to flood the entire area with police on foot to catch illegal off-roaders? Have you got a better idea than a helicopter coordinating officers on the ground to cover the area?

[AIRWOLF]

Crushed bikes and up to £20k fine if you read the links Whealie posted.

Your point that it is at the taxpayers expense is very relevant. I bet that there are more taxpaying walkers than taxpaying off-roaders.



I somehow doubt whether the helicopter was called off an armed robbery or a search for a missing child to go and follow a group of bikes . If you read the article on the link Whealie posted, you'll see that millions have been and will be spent on conservation in the area. Considering the amounts of taxpayers money involved (and lottery funding of course), I'm not surprised they are seeking to protect their investment by taking the most cost-effective action on illegal off-roaders. Think how much more it would cost to flood the entire area with police on foot to catch illegal off-roaders? Have you got a better idea than a helicopter coordinating officers on the ground to cover the area?

Surely it would have been more cost effective if the helicopter had established with the help of their high tech mapping system's that they were riding legal UCR's and BOAT's. . . . The helicopter could then have gone searching for the moron's that are actually causing the damage.

A short observation period should have been enough to establish they were legal and not require 3 police cars adding to the folly.

It would appear the police assumption is that if you are not on tarmac then you must be illegal.

On the positive side, . . . . at least it gave some of the road bike riders a break from the usual north wales police harassment for an hour or two.

[raymo]

.. we just spent £26 million convicting 4 tikes of tryng to steal £1.2 million


something wrong here.. supprise they did not use the anti terror laws....

or **** some wee wifey with a batton....

losing the plot here.. websites... heli video.... if they engaged in old style comunity policing and engaged with the public.. us the wage payer.. then there would be 'efficiencies''

I bike cop stopping them would have been a better option.. chat. information every one happy.. but that way they dont get the stats to justify spending money on .....

ahh enough off for a coffee