A NEW drone which gives police ‘crystal clear’ images of illegal off-road bikers caught in the act is being deployed at the worst-hit areas on the Barnsley border due to rising complaints.
Since January, police have been providing daily coverage in communities such as Brierley, one area hit hard due to its bordering countryside which separates West and South Yorkshire Police’s patches.
But now a new drone, which has been paid for by West Yorkshire Police, is giving on-the-ground officers the upper hand in the long-running battle which has blighted the area’s tracks and woodland.
According to the police, tests showed the drone - which will also be used alongside a Barnsley Council-funded device used in operations such as ones held at Rabbit Ings, Royston --was able to give a crystal clear picture of a wide area, providing its operator with real-time intelligence which could be used to direct police off-road riders.
More drone flights in other hotspot areas for antisocial riding have been planned in the coming weeks as part of Operation Matrix, which last year seized 96 illegal bikes and reported more than 40 people on summons.
Chief Inspector Alan Rhees-Cooper said: “The Matrix team has been a real success story since its introduction and we are delighted to have had the opportunity to use the new drone to support our off-road officers.
“It provides us with a significant new ability to track suspects further, and more quickly direct our riders to trouble spots, really boosting our own riders’ real-time intelligence of where suspects are heading as they approach areas where antisocial riders are operating.
“We remain focused on combating illegal off-road riding and continue to ask people to get in touch and give intelligence about antisocial riders operating in their communities to their local neighbourhood policing teams.
“When they are out and about officers are regularly approached by residents who generally seem to be fed up with bikes and quads.
“We are acting to catch these people and are getting them off the road before they head to the courts.”
Barnsley remains the only area of South Yorkshire which does not have its own fleet of off-road bikes and instead relies on accessing the Sheffield-based pool which allows trained-up officers from the town to prowl hotspots.
However, according to police sources, avenues for funding are being explored and it’s hoped money can be secured this year in order to provide Barnsley-based officers with their own.
Sgt Dave Baines, who is based in Royston, said officers are employing a zero tolerance stance on offenders given how much of a problem it has been at local crime meetings across Barnsley.
“We’ll go and take the bike off them,” he added. “It really is as simple as that so if the supposed owner can’t provide proof that they’ve purchased the quad or motorbike, we’ll crush it.
“Often they can’t do that and have no documentation, but we want to let residents know that off-road bikers remain a top priority.
“It’s an issue that’s brought up across the borough, so information as to where it’s happening and where the bikes are being kept is crucial.”
