Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has confirmed new police powers will be created to tackle the problem of anti-social off-road bikes impacting residents across the UK.
It comes as the Government looks to change the law to allow police to seize bikes without requiring repeated warnings to offenders.
Speaking in the House of Commons this week, Cooper described off-road bikes "careering through estates and communities" as "dangerous and an anti-social nightmare".
She confirmed the Government wants to give police "stronger powers to seize bikes without the need for repeated warnings in order to help keep communities safe".
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The Home Secretary will make police officers available nationwide to target anti-social off-road bikes
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The new measures represent a significant shift from current enforcement procedures, where multiple warnings must typically be issued before action can be taken against offenders using vehicles anti-socially.
Under the new plans, the Government has proposed to fast-track the disposal of seized vehicles to just 48 hours, replacing the current 14-day waiting period.
It marks a clear change from existing rules where police must wait two weeks before being able to dispose of a vehicle, which has often made it easier for offenders to reclaim their vehicles with limited deterrent to repeat offending.
Minister for Crime and Policing Dame Diana Johnson said the new timeframe will enable police "to seize and dispose of these vehicles within just 48 hours" and provide "communities the swift justice they deserve".
The Home Secretary confirmed new police powers will be granted to crack down on anti-social behaviour
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Cooper confirmed the Government also wants to "make it easier for them to be able to crush bikes more quickly, as well as making it easier for them to seize them off the streets".
She explained that the current system is inadequate, telling MPs that the existing measures are simply "not good enough". She emphasised the Government's determination to streamline enforcement, stating its intention to "make it much easier so that it's one strike and then you're out".
The Home Secretary's comments came in response to concerns raised by Labour MP Darren Paffey, who claimed that his Southampton Itchen constituents have experienced "anti-social motorbike racing outside their homes every night" with "constant noise" disturbing sleep.
Paffey noted that there had been "no meaningful enforcement in recent years" under the previous system, which required multiple warnings before seizure action could be taken.
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Cooper also confirmed that additional neighbourhood police officers are being deployed across multiple regions to enforce the new measures.
She told MPs that Kent will receive an additional 65 neighbourhood police officers while Hampshire will get similar numbers. Avon and Somerset will also benefit from 70 additional neighbourhood police officers to tackle the problem.
The Home Secretary indicated that these deployments are part of a broader strategy, stating that tackling anti-social off-road bikes "needs the additional neighbourhood police" to be effective.
The officer deployments form part of the Government's Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee announced in April, which includes every force having a dedicated anti-social behaviour lead to tackle specific local challenges. Cooper referenced how the problem affects all communities.
E-bike riders can face prosecution for failing to follow traffic rulesPAPolice and community leaders have welcomed the stronger powers to tackle antisocial behaviour affecting residents across UK communities.
National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Roads Policing, Chief Constable Jo Shiner, said: "Anti-social use of a vehicle, such as street racing, street cruising or off-road use, is more than a matter of noise pollution."
She explained that such behaviour "can have long-term effects on a neighbourhood, with the criminal damage of roads, other vehicles and surrounding property". She noted that driving in this way "can also be used as a form of intimidation, either to other road users or the community".
AA president Edmund King described illegal car meets and street racing as presenting road safety problems which have resulted in "needless injuries and fatalities", calling the measures "a positive step".
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