DIRTBIKES TO CATCH DIRTBAGS
Officers with DNA spray go off-road to nab joyriders
JOyRIDING thugs are being targeted by a new team of police officers on off-road motorbikes.
The eight-strong squad will ride Honda CRF 250cc bikes to tackle a scourge plaguing streets and parks in Edinburgh.
Out-of-control youths and adults on motorbikes – often stolen – have become a menace in parts of the city,
The bikes will allow police to patrol parks, paths and waste ground where their normal vehicles cannot go.
Officers in the squad will carry “DNA” spray which can be used to coat offenders in an invisible solution linking them to crimes.
GoPro cameras will be fitted to officers’ uniforms to gather evidence.
And, using radios fitted inside their helmets, the off-roaders will direct colleagues into position to use “stingers” – spiked strips which can be laid on the ground to burst tyres. The trail bikes will not be used in police chases.
The four Hondas and equipment – costing £30,000 – are being funded by Edinburgh City Council.
Chief Superintendent Richard Thomas, the interim commander for Edinburgh, said: “The bikes will be deployed in pairs.
“They’re not for chasing people. The bikes are about visibility, giving us off-road DYE Our DNA spray report access and helping us find stolen or hidden motorbikes.
“The officers can get up close to riders to use DNA spray and communicate and coordinate with officers with stingers.
Edinburgh will primarily be where our focus lies because that’s where antisocial motorcycling has centred.
“But we’ll also use the police bikes in places like Craigmillar, the Meadows, the Grange, as well as the city centre.”
Amy McNeese-Mechan, chairwoman of the council’s Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership, said: “The theft of motorbikes and related offences has become a real problem in parts of Edinburgh.”