Senlac police traffic officers are pioneering a new way of catching young bike thieves in the 1066 area - pursuing them on trials bikes!
During the last few months youngsters - most riding underage on stolen mopeds and small motorbikes - were racing round the Filsham Valley area of Hastings, much of which is a nature reserve area. On one Sunday afternoon, they were causing so much misery to nearby residents that more than 20 calls were received.
And it wasn't just the noise and the fact the bikes were stolen - the youngsters were putting other members of the public at risk by their antics, plus the fact many of the bikes were torched after they had been stripped.
It soon became clear that the Hollington and Churchfields area were also suffering the same problems.
the problem for officers called to the scene was that the offenders would ride off down alleyways or into nearby woods and patrol cars and the large police motorbikes couldn't follow them.
But the officers weren't put off. they borrowed two trials bikes from police HQ in Lewes for Operation Offroad to disrupt the activities of the youths; in the week before the operation, 10 reports were received of stolen bikes.
In October, the first weekend of the operation saw five stolen bikes recovered and one local persistent offender tracked down.
Sergeant Steve Grace and PC Tony Masters along with other Bexhill and Polegate traffic officers were out patrolling the area and within a week, the number of complaints from the public fell to just two.
Now the operation is set to become permanent. Local motorcycle business J.S. Gedge have supplied Senlac officers with a £4,000 Suzuki DR 4000 offroad bike which has been striped up with police livery and is now in action in the affected areas. Money was also provided through the Sussex Police/ Sussex Police Authority joint initiative funding programme.
the operation has been very well received by local residents. One wrote recently: "Thank you very much for all the hard work you and your officers carried out recently for South Saxons wetlands. the noise made by motor bikes recently was at times really unbearable and made us and our neighbours feel really ill. We thank you on behalf of ourselves and the other residents."
PC Paul Masterson, who devised Operation Offroad and organised the partnership between Sussex Police and Gedges, said: "I hope it will soon become common knowledge that we are out there and going offroad is no longer a viable means of escape."
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This page last updated: 03/01/2001