Rogue motorbikers are putting pedestrians at risk on Stockton’s Infinity Bridge and nearby riverside footpaths, a councillor claims.
Councillor Pauline Beall tackled Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner with her concerns, claiming members of the public had called police in some instances only to be told: “What do you want us to do about it?”
She said: “It [the bridge] is very heavily used, families use it to cross the Tees and go down the riverside.
“They feel as if these bikes are being driven at them.”
The Stockton councillor said residents had attempted to address the issue with police and had been unhappy with the response.
She said a high number of reports had been made following incidents with motorcyclists and pedestrians were at risk of being hit.
Speaking at a meeting of the Cleveland Police and Crime Panel, which scrutinises his work, Mr Turner said he was reluctant to be drawn into the “ward specifics”, but happy to respond in more generic terms to what continued to be a “big problem” and a “hot topic”.
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The Conservative PCC previously declared himself as very assured by the volume of work Cleveland Police was undertaking to tackle nuisance bikers.
He said: “We are openly on record that in May and June we seized and crushed more than 190 bikes, which is what most forces up and down the country seize in a year.
“We are being really proactive to the point where it is now costing us to seize and crush bikes.
“We used to make a little bit of money from them when they were sold on – but we don’t want them back on the streets – so we are now getting charged from the organisation that picks them up that used to just take them and sell them on.”
Mr Turner said a funding bid under the ‘Safer Streets’ initiative was targeting the problem with information also coming in from the public via his COPA mobile phone app.
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Meanwhile, the organisation Crimestoppers was undertaking a borough-wide campaign offering a £1,000 reward for information relating to bikes involved in criminal activity.
He said: “I would actively encourage you to get that information out to your residents.
“A £1,000 will make a big difference to a lot of people who may be quite happy to tell us where these bikes live.”
Fellow Stockton councillor Norma Stephenson said bikes involved in illegal activity were being transported around.
She said: “The bikes go in the back of a wagon and the wagon moves.
“They [the criminals] know they are being watched now.”
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Cllr Stephenson added: “They are always one step ahead, but I still think with the help of residents we can catch them.
“At least our officers can chase a van, whereas balaclava-covered off-road bikers are more difficult.”
On Wednesday Cleveland Police conducted a fresh intelligence-led operation targeting illegal vehicles and off-road bikers.
Tools used by police include a DNA tagging spray that can be used to mark the bikes, clothing and skin of any riders and passengers in a bid to provide forensic evidence to link to a specific crime, while drones are also being piloted by officers in some instances to trace the movements of criminals on bikes.
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