Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit is to receive 3 off-road motorcycles to help officers tackle anti-social behaviour, but the Isle of Wight will miss out due to a lack of a dedicated Roads Policing Unit on the Island.
These vehicles, used by RPU officers, will provide an entirely new tactical option for local policing to follow those who seek to evade police by going off-road on powered vehicles. They will also help to patrol off-road areas and deal with serious ASB, rural crime and organised crime.
The Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones has contributed £15,000 from her ASB Fund, which was set up alongside the Commissioner’s ASB Taskforce last year. The taskforce is a collaboration between the PCC, Hampshire Constabulary and local partners to tackle specific problems and issues that require action beyond policing alone.
Commissioner Donna Jones has said:
“Tackling ASB is one of the key priorities in my Police and Crime Plan ‘More Police, Safer Streets’, and funding these bikes is an excellent outcome of the ASB Taskforce I set up last year. It shows that there is real value in bringing together policing and local authority partners to discuss critical ASB issues that affect a number of communities and find quick, tangible and collaborative solutions.
“The Roads Policing Unit have told me it’s difficult to apprehend teenagers who are creating anti-social behaviour in our communities. They often disappear down alleyways in urban areas, or across fields in rural communities. These bikes will help us to stay on top of these issues.”
Inspector Andy Tester from the force’s Roads Policing Unit has said:
“We have seen an increasing pattern of serious criminality and persistent anti-social behaviour across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, involving motorcycles and high-powered electric bicycles.
Article continues below this advertisement “With the support of the Police and Crime Commissioner, we will soon have the equipment and training to engage with and tackle those responsible for these crimes, whether it takes place on the roads or elsewhere.”
The new off-road bikes are expected to be operational in early summer.
Any officer pursuing a perp off-road on one of these is going to be alone and very vulnerable, both from accident and from attack by the perp. Perhaps they should have sidecars? (that’s a joke)
Nice story Darren, a shame we are ineligible since on the other side of the fence there are non roadworthy/un-licenced/loud off road quads roaring around the roads of Ryde, with the rider and driver wearing no helmets.
And once again we are both ignored AND lied to by the Police. SO.. we don’t have a Motorway so we can’t have a RPU and we don’t have a RPU so we can’t have off-road capability! But we DO have daily crashes invariably caused by poor driving or drink/drugs and these drivers know they will probably get away with it. We will have to have another tourist family disaster before anyone listens and if that happens I hope that Ms Jones has the best PR team available in order to wriggle out of the flack that WILL follow.
Here we go again. Hampshire getting all the police resources. As we are going to pay extra in our council tax towards the police . I wonder why ? we certainly dont get any visible benefits for this. Come on council and MP Bob. Make it your business to know why the the island is constantly overlooked by Donna Jones.
Tackling ASB is one of the key priorities on the mainland but not on the Isle of Wight!
Goes to show what value all that extra council tax not worth anything,when announced we testing place for covid,they were coming out with all this drivel about new train tracks across all island and other new projects,all crap,incident a few months ago and they had to wait for police and fire fighters to get on ferry lol could not make it up
Once again the island is being left out, why???? Get rid of this damn commissioner as soon as possible, all big words and catchphrases but no substance.