Police vow to crack down on illegal dirt bike riders nationwide

Concerned about anti-social and illegal bike behaviour across the country, Police are laying down the law following reports of dangerous and disruptive behaviour.

Police are taking strong action with a focus on bikes and their riders as reports come in from members of the public concerned about everything from dangerous riding to noise, and risks to the safety of riders and public.

Arrests have been made throughout the country, most recently in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Eastern, Bay of Plenty and Wellington districts.

Senior Sergent Aimee Whitley, Acting Area Commander of Hamilton City says recently Police were concerned about safety risks to the public after receiving reports of dirt bike riders engaging in dangerous and disruptive behaviour as they travelled from Auckland down to Hamilton.

“An Auckland-based rider is off to Hamilton District Court, with further enquiries ongoing into other riders involved.

“We’re running Operation Shear that has a focus on prevention and enforcement with regards to anti-social dirt bike riding behaviour in the Hamilton city area, to identify offenders, hold them to account, and reduce harm in the community,” Senior Sergeant Whitley says.

“Our team has taken enforcement action against dozens of riders including arrests, court proceedings and youth justice processes, and we’ve impounded more than 15 dirt bikes for anti-social dirt bike activity in Hamilton.

“At all times we want people to feel safe and to be safe so we’ve adopted an intelligence-led and investigative approach. This includes a strong partnership with Hamilton City Council.

“If riders are identified as travelling from elsewhere we work closely with colleagues in other districts.”

Police are clear that this behaviour will not be tolerated, Whitley said.

“Anti-social road use places the public, the riders themselves and Police staff at real risk.

“Operation Shear is about taking a consistent, coordinated approach to disrupt this behaviour and hold those involved accountable.”

Whitley says Police will continue prevention and enforcement activity across the district, working alongside partners to keep the community safe.

She urges anyone with information about illegal dirt bike activity in the Waikato area to contact Police via 105, either online or by phone, referencing Operation Shear. Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Police are also saddled-up for action in other parts of the country too, where recent successes come from utilising reports from the public and acting quickly.

For example Inspector Renée Perkins Kāpiti Mana Area Commander says the public are absolutely their eyes and ears.

“We’ve had great results getting reports from people about where dirt bikes are and being able to activate seizure warrants.

“Sometimes one thing leads to another, riders face multiple charges.

“It can be like a jigsaw puzzle, like taking enforcement action related to rider behaviour and often finding stolen bikes.

“We have an ongoing operation in the Porirua area called Operation Enduro where we track down dirt bikes and link them with dangerous, illegal or anti-social activity,” says Inspector Perkins.

There have been seizures and arrests throughout the country.

Police recently seized a dirt bike and arrested its rider following numerous complaints of dangerous and unlawful behaviour on Taupō roads.

Senior Sergeant John Stapleford is the Road Policing Coordinator in the Bay of Plenty. He says they also have an ongoing operation that targets illegal trail and dirt bike offenders particularly in the Rotorua area.

“Reckless behaviour puts both riders and others in danger.

“I’ve seen riders not wearing helmets on stolen bikes suffer incredibly serious injuries and I’ve also seen innocent members of the public hit.

“We encourage reports from the public, we investigate, we hold riders accountable and we seize bikes for the safety of everyone.

“One trail bike rider is now spending 15 months in prison as a result of our crackdown,” he says.

Police have a range of enforcement options

Dirt bikes and modified e-bikes must comply with New Zealand road rules, including when used in public spaces such as roads, footpaths, shared paths and reserves. Where vehicles are used dangerously, illegally or in an antisocial manner, riders may face charges for unlawful or dangerous driving. Vehicles that are not road-legal or are being used unlawfully can be seized or impounded.

Dangerous riding puts both riders and the community at risk. Public reporting plays a key role in enabling enforcement. Police encourage anyone anywhere in the country who witnesses unsafe or illegal riding to report it as soon as possible, including details such as descriptions of the rider and bike, location and direction of travel. Reports can be made via 111 if it is happening at the time, via 105 if it is afterwards, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.

Police are committed to using all enforcement tools available under the law and reiterate that when this behaviour is identified, action will be taken.