Six police forces to join together to target people riding anti-socially across borders

Cheshire Police, with the support of Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service will be joining with five forces to target motorcyclists who ride anti-socially across borders.

West Mercia, Staffordshire, North Wales, Gloucestershire and Merseyside will be taking part in the operation which will take place on Thursday 23 July with officers starting their activity on the A41, Whitchurch, as a direct result of seeing an increase in anti-social rider behaviour.

Police will use a number of tactics to target anti-social motorbikes including marked and unmarked motorbikes, marked cars, ANPR cameras and speed cameras.

The safety of the roads is paramount to Cheshire’s emergency services and both Cheshire Police and Cheshire Fire and Rescue often work together to deliver lifesaving road safety education to the public.

Inspector Darren Owen, from Cheshire Police, said: “This operation is about engaging with as many riders as possible, promoting road safety, and enforcing road traffic legislation where necessary and proportionate.

“We want all road users to think about how they drive, consider the conditions of the road and assess their surroundings to reduce the risk of a fatal collision.

“Fatal collisions are heart-breaking. They are heart-breaking for the family, heart-breaking for the community, and heart-breaking for the responding emergency services staff who have to witness the tragedy and subsequent aftermath – all made worse knowing that many could have been prevented. We want people to think about how they use the road network and how they can do it safely.”

Sergeant David Williams, from West Mercia Police, said: “Our priority is working to make roads across the West Mercia Police area safer. There are some prominent routes for motorbike riders to use throughout all six counties involved in this operation. During the warmer months we see an increase in Shropshire in the number of motorbikes on the roads.

“We have seen cases where the driving behaviour of bikers has caused heart-breaking consequences and the rider has unnecessarily put themselves and other road users at risk.

“These operations are about educating and engaging with motorists to ensure all road users are as safe possible. Although our officers will be enforcing road traffic legislation where necessary our intention is to work with riders to prevent incidents from happening.

“All road users have a responsibility in making our roads safer, we know motorbike riders are more vulnerable and would ask that riders make sure they do their bit by not taking unnecessary risks.

“Working closely with other forces is extremely important as it allows us to target areas that are a concern by sharing information and covering a larger area in order to keep our roads safer.”

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Road Safety Manager Andy Gray said: “Stopping any more deaths from occurring as a result of something unnecessary and totally avoidable is a top priority for Cheshire’s emergency services. By joining with other forces across the six borders we are visibly highlighting our commitment to reducing road deaths by educating those who use our roads so that they can stay safe and keep others safe.”

David Keane, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said: “Keeping Cheshire residents safe on our roads is one of my key priorities and I am committed to continuing to work with Cheshire Constabulary and partner agencies to reduce the number of serious incidents on our roads and motorways.

“It is really pleasing to see this cross border operation being carried out by so many forces and I hope to see similar operations in the future as part of our combined efforts to improve road safety.”