Police seize off-road bikes during day of action in Derker

Image courtesy of GMP

Greater Manchester Police's Operation Vulcan team seized five off-road bikes and stopped a further 16 vehicles during a day of action in the Derker area at the weekend.

Yesterday (Sunday), officers from the problem-solving team deployed to hotspots in the community, to tackle ASB and the issue of nuisance bikes, including e-bikes and other off-road vehicles.

During the operation, a total of 19 vehicles were stopped and checked, which led to seven stop-searches and five bikes being seized for having no insurance and/or driving in an anti social manner.

A van was also seized for having no insurance, and for being used to transport two further off-road bikes to the area.

The Vulcan team worked in conjunction with the GMP bike and Traffic unit, who lent their resources to the action.

The day’s operation meant a new wave of disruption work against those who use nuisance vehicles in the community – reminding them that officers can and will take action against those causing issues.

Operation Vulcan’s Derker work includes tackling all manner of crime – from serious crime through to grassroots issues affecting people – and all intelligence is utilised by the team.

Sergeant Joseph Dunne, from GMP’s Vulcan team, said: “We know that off-road bikes can cause a nuisance within communities, and our dedicated day of action ensured we made our presence known to criminals.

“We seized several of the vehicles, monitored the area’s roads, and built an intelligence picture of who and what is causing issues for Derker.

"We stopped multiple other people during the day’s work, providing education on the topic, and making sure they knew the laws on operating off-road bikes.

“I would ask anyone within the community, and who has issues with these bikes, to please get in touch with us.

"We know how much of a problem they can be, and we are determined to stamp it out.”

You can contact police with any information by visiting GMP's Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk, or by calling 101.

You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.