Sunderland police trace off-road bike within minutes of motor menace complaint

Officers were on patrol in the Grindon area of Sunderland when they were approached by a distressed elderly man.

He said he was increasingly frustrated by motorcycle-related anti-social behaviour in the area and stated his wife, who has a long-term health condition, could not cope with the noise in the street.

Minutes later, while carrying out inquiries, the officers spotted a blue and white motorbike matching the description provided by the man.

They later saw the rider stop, get off and push the vehicle into an address nearby.

Checks revealed the vehicle was not insured and the bike was subsequently seized by police with a 31-year-old man due to be summonsed to court on suspicion of driving offences.

Neighbourhood Inspector Marie Pollock, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was a case of good old-fashioned policing with officers acting on their instinct after they were made aware of concerns from a member of the public.

“After taking down the details, they then followed their nose and spotted a motorbike matching the description given by the concerned resident.”

She added: “We understand the distressing and detrimental effect that anti-social behaviour can have on the communities we serve and that’s why through

Operation Brimstone, officers are actively targeting motorbike-related disorder and taking these vehicles off our streets.

“As a result, we will continue to carry out a range of inquiries to keep our communities safe from motorbike-related crime and ensure anyone found responsible is dealt with swiftly.

“If you see any off-road riders or vehicle-related crimes happening in your area, please get in touch with us.

“We also want to hear from anyone who believes they know where these bikes are being stored overnight.”

Anyone with information, or who is concerned about motorbike offences in their area, is asked to get in touch with Northumbria Police via the Tell Us Something or Report an Incident pages on the force’s www.northumbria.police.uk website.

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