The Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership have bought four new off-road motor bikes to be used by police officers when dealing with anti-social behaviour and theft across the capital.
It is hoped the motorbikes will help police get to places that other vehicles can’t go. They are not incognito however. They are painted a distinctive red and yellow livery.
So far eight officers have been specially trained and will be able to get into public parks, along paths and over waste ground. The idea is to maintain a regular presence to disrupt anti-social gatherings.
Police will use the motorbikes in particular at weekends, when residents say they suffer most from people stealing and riding motorbikes both on and off-road.
Off road motorbikes will now be used to deter motorbike and other thefts across the city pic.twitter.com/YlFw6pP5hj
— Edinburgh Reporter (@EdinReporter) April 3, 2018
Operation Soteria is Police Scotland’s initiative to deal with motorcycle theft and related disorder and the Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership makes this a priority too.
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, Chair of Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership, said: “The theft of motorbikes and related offences has become a real problem in parts of Edinburgh and one that is a matter of great concern to the local community.
“This behaviour has a huge impact on victims and can have dangerous and tragic consequences. However, as we all know the issues surrounding the young people who are committing these crimes goes far wider than the remit of Police Scotland and the community must work together.
“This is a very exciting and pioneering step as it builds on the successful joint working between the organisations and a highly visible indication of work underway to tackle common problems, reduce crime and antisocial behaviour and bolster public confidence in what we are doing to combat these issues.
Temporary Chief Superintendent Divisional Commander Edinburgh, Richard Thomas, told The Edinburgh Reporter that over the last year over 500 motorbikes have been stolen. He continued : “It is an issue particularly for tourists who come to Edinburgh and become a target for thieves. Not only that motorcycle riding like joy riding and anti-social driving and dangerous driving is an activity that seems to be prevalent particularly in the north west and north east of the city.
“This is part of a wider raft of tactical options available to us from education and prevention going into schools, speaking to kids, and also engaging directly with people involved in anti-social driving to explain the dangers to them.
“We also have at our disposal a disruption and enforcement capability that allows us to really engage on a level playing field with those who are intent on causing danger on our roads.”
Sergeant Graeme Monteith from Gayfield Square Police Station was one of the motorcycle riders. He explained that the police can also use a tagging spray to leave an invisible trace on any suspect which can then be collected as forensic evidence even some time later. He explained : “It is something that we can spray onto suspects even if we can’t catch them. Then by using a special light when the suspect is eventually traced perhaps by more conventional policing methods we can tie that person to the other incident.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
