Cops who spent £120,000 on DIRT BIKES to chase crooks have been taunted by locals with one warning them “Watch out for booby traps.”
They will be used to pursue yobs on quad-bikes and motorbikes in parks and tracks in the countryside.
Specially trained riders will be able to use them in subways and alleyways in towns and cities to tackle anti-social behaviour.
But Thames Valley Police have faced taunts from locals about the new crime-fighting, off-road bikes.
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One – called Cole – said: “Watch out for booby traps.”
Ross Harris added: “Still can’t catch me.”
Joshua Knight echoed this and said:: “Still can’t catch anyone fools.”
One teen dirt bike owner boasted: “Come race me.”
Andy Batchelor questioned the speed and power of red and yellow-marked Honda bikes.
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“Won’t pull the skin off a rice pudding,” he joked.
Some residents said it could encourage other off-road bike owners from using them in those areas.
One – named Rich – said: “Why they allowed to ride their dirt bikes through parks?”
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He quipped: “But when I do it, it’s all blue light this, blue light that, helicopter this, helicopter that.”
Another said: “That’s so cool they’ve opened all the parks to dirt bikes.
“Let’s go.”
One said: “Next you’ll see them using XL Bully’s as police dogs.”
Andy Ball said: “So the taxpayer is paying for someone to ride around on trail bikes.
“Which seems like an excuse to do what a lot of people work all week to be able to afford to do and then they try to catch people and arrest them.
“And crush the bikes probably.
“And then those two are expected to patrol how big of an area seems a waste of time and money to me.”
Yet Rob Semple said: “Money well spent.”
And Chris Wyatt said: “Brilliant, well done.”
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “We have launched an off-road motorcycle team in a bid to help tackle anti-social behaviour across the force.
“As part of Operation Trail, the team will have new off-road motorcycles, which have been funded as part of a Roads Safety Initiative supported by the Police and Crime Commissioner.
“The team of dedicated officers will work tirelessly to tackle crime across the Thames Valley.
“They will be supporting neighbourhood policing teams to tackle crime at the heart of our communities.
“The motorbikes will be used to catch those who ride quad bikes and motorbikes, often through estates or on parkland, which greatly impacts residents.
“These bikes will be deployed to help officers travel through areas they have previously been unable to get to with a car.”
Insp Scott Long, of Thames Valley Police & Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, Joint Operations Unit, said: “Operation Trail is a new initiative which will support Neighbourhood Policing and the Rural Crime Team tackling criminals who target rural areas.
“It will also enhance our capability when searching for vulnerable people on open land and provide visible reassurance to communities not normally accessible to traditional police vehicles.
“We will also be deploying the bikes to areas that suffer from anti-social behaviour and will be able to tackle the illegal use of off-road bikes.
“We know that anti-social use of vehicles can cause misery and danger to communities and we now have the capability to go off road and target those using vehicles illegally.
“We all have a part to play in keeping our roads, communities and green areas safe so please continue to provide us with information so that we can target the right areas and make the Thames Valley safer.
The Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber, said: “The new team of off-road motorcycles will help our drive to tackle anti-social behaviour in the Thames Valley.
“The team will support our growing number of neighbourhood police officers by tackling crime in often hard-to-reach areas and apprehending those causing anti-social behaviour by riding quad bikes and motorbikes.
“I look forward to seeing the positive actions of the new off-road motorcycle team, and the impact their work has on reducing anti-social behaviour for residents within our communities.”
Thames Valley Police covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.
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