[Closed] The police on crossers on bridleways...

They are the police. They can do whatever they want. This is the law.

I love the idea that it will enable them to patrol areas which are not accessible on foot. That's a great problem in rural Surrey...

So the criminal can use one but the Police can't ?
Don't care what they use has long as they catch them.

They are the police. They can do whatever they want. This is the law.

Clearly it isn't.

Anyway, 'remote parts of surrey' wtf?

I think remote means not near roads. There are parts of Surrey which aren't near roads.

Sounds like a good way to ruin trails to me

not sure they're going to be riding your local single track somehow.

Police were using these in Wales ages ago so surprised it's only just caught on elsewhere. I think that the police will be 'able' to patrol these areas with flashing lights just as they can in cars don't think you'll be seeign them just tootling along a footpath or bridleway for the sakes of being seen as a 'booby on the beat'

We used to have police on crossers round our way a few years ago, (Lee Moor/Stocker's Pit near Plymouth) chasing the trespassing folk also on crossers. Not seen the bizzies on them for a number of years now, though I still frequently find MX size tyre tracks where there shouldn't really be...

not ruddy motocrossers - motocrossers are non road legal race bikes

not sure they're going to be riding your local single track somehow.

Well they'll be riding on bridleways apparently.

I thought that the title was referring to cyclocross bikes..

still.. I'd take me hat off to 'em if they could negotiate the bridleways round here on their motorcycles..

From what I saw, when I local Feds got Crossers to try and nick to offroaders:-

1. They weren't very good riders (they don't have a two week residential course on it yet)

2. They didn't catch many people on crossers (because if you wear hi vis and full PPE you stick out like a sore thumb, miht as well fit blues and two and huge "POLICE" stickers

3. There was too much in the way of risk assessment and paperwork for them to deploy the bike in the first place.

Having said that, Police on on-road/offroad bikes should be pretty effective against a wide variety of crimes in semi rural areas (just probably not catching scallys on crossers)

There are parts of Surrey which aren't near roads.

Yeah, I hear that some of those golf courses are really big...

Cops have trail bikes round here I believe and use 'em. Its not uncommon

I thought that the title was referring to cyclocross bikes..

Same here - it made me want to join the Police!

Saw some police training on trail bikes (or whatever the correct term is) on Frith Hill (Deepcut) a couple of weeks ago. Not really close to the Mole Valley, so maybe its going to be Surrey-wide.

May have a chance to do this then 😉

Don't quite see how this scheme will prevent any crime. i work in a huge semi rural/rural area and it is very rare that criminals escape like Richard Hannay

Great vid grantway

Great video.
Has that motorcyclist chap been hit in the head a lot?

Police round Wigan have had offroad bikes for years now. I'll sometimes see them ragging it up a trail, chiring things up good style. Ho hum.

The cops in Sunderland had big, burly off road bikes years ago which they used to chase down lads on stolen bikes. They just drew level and kicked them off 😀

When I lived in Edinburgh, there was a problem with young lads on pinched bikes traversing the city using the network of disused railway lines / towpaths. To deal with it, the force bought a fleet of electric power assist bikes. I shitteth you not.

Yep, seen two trail bike police in Musselburgh..

Has that motorcyclist chap been hit in the head a lot?

No. He's just from The Isle Of Man. 😆

A local traffic cop that I know got selected for offroad dutys. Some of the local racers took pity on him and took him out practising with them.
He still couldn't ride for shit and broke his wrist on his first shift on the bike. 🙄

I've never seen this happen. I used to ride up in the Derbyshire Dales and over that way there were a few ex quarries, the lads that used to hack around there were left alone to play. But there were a few trails leading to them that were B'ways and I did see trails to and from the car park.
I thought you meant cross bikes too when I read this thread.

I'm in favour of cops chasing down stolen bikes and the like though, if they need these and it's cheaper than a chopper then I'm ok with it.

They have them in Durham too. Very effective in catching mini motos, pit bikes etc. which are a problem, especially on 'walking/cycling paths eg. Sustrans route.

As for 'ripping the trail' I think you'll find that damage to trails from them will be minimal as the trail will already have been damaged by those they are trying to catch. Effective at getting to inaccessible places quickly for other reasons too 😉

Sounds like three coppers who want to ride bikes all day around the beautiful Surrey countryside. And who can blame them 🙂

You mean, there's actually more to it than "golf courses"? 😯

Yeah, they're the police and can do pretty much what they like, assuming the reasonable belief that a person has committed a crime. I presume they've been told not to rip up too much wherever they go. Does look like fun though 🙂

Is this place turning into a daily mail forum?! Stop moaning, the police have exemptions in all sorts of things when necessary from speed limits to carrying a gun.this is just another and there will undoubtedly be a reason for it.

they are probably to chase the kids on illegal bikes that gets ranted about so much on here

Yup let's criticize the police again! This will be 3 neighbourhood officers who's "patrol" is rural, where all their residents complain about poaching, hair coursing, theft of farming equpiment etc. Having something like this will allow them to effect their job properly and potentially prevent serious (to the residents, maybe not to us city dwellers) crime that is disrupting people's lives and livelihood. Tractors cost Aston Martin style money, there is a huge problem with theft of diesel etc etc.

I also cannot imagine they will be riding places which are illegal. What I think the police officers mean is that they will ride along say the Ridgeway which will then allow them to patrol footpaths etc on foot.

Yup let's criticize the police again! This will be 3 neighbourhood officers who's "patrol" is rural, where all their residents complain about poaching, hair coursing, theft of farming equpiment etc. Having something like this will allow them to effect their job properly and potentially prevent serious (to the residents, maybe not to us city dwellers) crime that is disrupting people's lives and livelihood. Tractors cost Aston Martin style money, there is a huge problem with theft of diesel etc etc.

I also cannot imagine they will be riding places which are illegal. What I think the police officers mean is that they will ride along say the Ridgeway which will then allow them to patrol footpaths etc on foot.

Call me a cynic but this is three coppers who've somehow convinced their boss to let them razz around the local countryside on crossers. I reckon the number of criminals they catch on said crossers before their boss realises and gets ride of the bikes (/someone crashes one and they're sold) will be a big fat zero. They will doubtless hide this fact however by claiming they they're acting as an important deterance.

As a tax payer in surrey, I object. If they want to stop crime why not come and nick the drug dealers who stand under a street lamp every evening at the end of a road near me... ah, right, because it's not as much fun.

...the drug dealers who stand under a street lamp every evening at the end of a road near me

That sort of thing goes on in rural Surrey ?

Shocking 😐

why not come and nick the drug dealers who stand under a street lamp every evening at the end of a road near me.

You have actually told the police about this, or have you just been twitching the net curtains and tutting indignantly?

Ewan you will probably find that drug dealing in your area hasn't been deemed a neighbour priority by your neighbour. You should have a page on the Surrey police website with your neighbourhoods top 3 issues, that you could (if you wanted to) have an input on. I work in Oxford where drugs and alcohol are rife, particularly as we have some of the best night shelter/homeless support networks in place in the country the communities (some do, blackbird Leys) don't feel that drugs is the biggest problem they want addressing. Most coppers want nothing more than to nick drug dealers, as they are the starting point for most crime. If we didn't have drugs we wouldn't have any car thefts, burglaries, street robberies, shoplifting etc.

When Mr MC was on blackbird Leyes one of the neighbourhood priorities was drug dealing, all he did was chase around the alleyways on a push bike nicking and locking up Jamiacan yardie drug dealers. After he left the team a new canvas was done and the drug dealing didn't feature on any of their prioritoes and it was all trivial stuff such as littering and parking. That's what the new neighbourhood officers had to deal with as that's was the residents wanted, now drug dealing is a top priority again and all the team do is drug warrants again.

have you ever contacted the police about the drug dealing? Have you rung up and asked to speak to your neighbourhood officer passed them information so they can act on it?

yes I can imagine that part of this smacks at officers wanting a bit of fun and games, but rural policing is a whole different ball game to city policing and if you live in the middle of bumblef*** they also get serious crime just very different to what Bristolians may percieeve as "serious crime" (ie bike theft).

Well apparently the police have no priorities where I live (Maybury west)
http://www.surrey.police.uk/neighbourhood/neighbourhood.asp?area=WKMA

The top priority for mole valley rural is 'the increase in cyclists in rural areas'. Quite why this is anything to do with the police is anyone's guess.

I can imagine that part of this smacks at officers wanting a bit of fun and games

It's a six-month trial. I doubt whether at the end of it, and they review its effectiveness/lack of effectiveness, Surrey Police Authority will be asking "Well lads, did you have lots of fun ?".

With Surrey Police facing 20% cuts imposed on them by central government, I suspect they will be looking at this trial producing results/value for money. Otherwise it will be undoubtedly ditched.

I would have thought.

I see the off road bike copper quite regularly around Baildon Moor/ Shipley Glen on the edge of Bradford. He never tells me off for riding on footpaths, so he gets my vote. There are a lot of scrotes riding crossers around the area so I suppose he's just trying to stop them killing children's faces and dogs, and maybe on occasion, themselves. What's the problem?

Probably it's part of a multi-million pound operation to infiltrate local cycling clubs, seduce the treasurer, and write a book.

I don't understand. Whats the problem/issue?

Do you expect a patrol car to get onto them or maybe a bobby pedalling furiously on a bicycle?

Poaching is about being quiet and stealthy. Motorbikes make a big noise and have bright headlights. Sounds like a good laugh though.
I favour legalisation of drugs, I believe a lot of the problems outlined above would go away.

The problem.... I think it's either a publicity stunt or an excuse to razz around on crossers instead of spending the money elsewhere.

Ewan - well you can think that if you like.

I nmany parts of the country the police have trail bikes and their usage is justified by results

In at least one of our divisions we have very dedicated and skilled officers on crossers. The have some top end custom kit. They are very effective in chasing stolen bikes and indeed cars and criminals when they go off road.

From the number of good arrests I'd say they are no publicity stunt and if you compare the cost of two PCs on crossers against the cost of helicopter sorties with ground support then they are a bargain.

I'm very sure the officers enjoy it too but is that really a valid criticism.

If anyone sees these police, please can you tell them that the newly resurfaced bridleway (loads of dull, loose gravel) at Ebbisham Lane is a hive of criminal activity and needs regular patrolling?
Then, hopefully it will start to ride better again.

I agree with K.O.N. Legalisation of drugs would be a step forward, look at the lessons learnt from the prohibition of alcohol in the USA. I believe AL Capone was finally busted for tax evasion .

But what drugs have to do with police on crossers, i don't know 🙄

Police in drug fuelled cross dressing shocker!

It isn't police money paying for it by the looks of thinsg as they sourced the funding themselves, probably from external agencies. Ewan, since there are no neighbourhood priorites for your area, have you rung the local bill today and reported your drugs issue for them to deal with it?

they have a (very small) team of them in Manchester - they go out during the school holidays to the known spots and end up taking a lot of uninsured stolen etc bikes

Why is there any police bating going on here? The poor sods can't win; They could run their crossers on melted down indy fab frames and it would still be cheaper than the helicopters with I would expect, fairly similar results.I suppose some of the usual suspects will be along anytime to stick it to "the man"