Cases of "dangerous" motorbike disorder in Ashington and Blyth fall

A drone used by the police to tackle motorbike crime
-Credit: (Image: Copyright Unknown)


Concentrated action by Northumbria Police has seen the number of cases of anti-social behaviour involving motorbikes fall in two Northumberland hotspots.

Northumbria Police have been carrying out Operation Capio, which sees officers working with partners to respond to reports of dangerous riding. That followed mounting concern over the problem, with some residents said to be "petrified" to leave their homes.

Ashington and Blyth had the highest number of cases of any town in Northumberland. Ashington saw 1,151 incidents reported between 2020 and 2023, while Blyth saw 795.

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However speaking at Wednesday's meeting of the Ashington and Blyth Local Area Committee, neighbourhood inspectors from Northumbria Police explained that actions the force were taking to tackle the problem were having an effect.

Ashington inspector Wayne Daniels said: "My priority is anti-social behaviour including motorbike disorder. Anti-social behaviour has decreased and with motorbike disorder we have seen a massive reduction.

"We have done a lot of engagement work including carrying out a lot of callbacks to build up that intelligence. We've had lots of good intelligence pictures built up and we have been able to do some enforcement.

"Last year, August massively peaked with 98 reports - this year we only had 22, so it's a significant impact that the team is having."

A key component of the force's arsenal when tackling motorbike ASB was unveiled earlier this year in the form of eight new drones. The devices are deployed to hunt down the bikes as officers on the ground are unable to give chase for fear of causing danger to both the rider and the wider public.

Blyth's inspector Jonathan Caisley added: "We have seen reductions and a lot of additional reporting, because people feeling confident that we are doing something. The community has realised we're taking it seriously."

Tackling motorbike disorder was made a key priority by Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine last year. She described the off-road bikes as "awful" and "dangerous" and urged the public to make reports to improve intelligence.