The local police beat team in Bradley Stoke has taken action against a number of moped riders believed to be responsible for incidents of late-night anti-social behaviour that have occurred across the town over the past few weeks.
Local residents are also being urged to help the police by calling 101 at the time of any future incidents.
Beat team manager PC Claire Fletcher wrote in an email to the Journal:
Over the last month we have had numerous complaints in regard to anti-social behaviour, centring on the use of mopeds and scooters in the Bradley Stoke area. This behaviour relates mostly to inconsiderate use of the vehicles late at night and in the early hours of the morning.
Unfortunately, the less powerful the machine, the more noise it seems to make, which we understand is annoying when having to leave bedroom windows open due to the summer heat … or what we get of it.
Over the last week we have identified the young people involved and issued five ‘Section 59’ warning tickets.
Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 enables us to warn the driver of a vehicle. This warning puts a maker on the driver and the vehicle. If this happens twice within 12 months, we can seize the vehicle.
Vehicle defect rectification notices have also been issued in regard to the noisy exhausts.
On Saturday night (22nd July) we were contacted by a concerned member of the public in regard to anti-social behaviour of the moped riders, and because we were contacted at the time of the incident, we were able to stop three riders and advise them that perhaps they would prefer to spend the evening in another part of South Gloucestershire.
Although we do use social media, this is not monitored 24hrs a day, so if there is an issue for the police to deal with, please contact us on 101 (or 999 if an emergency).
We should stress that the vast majority of the young people using mopeds are not causing any issue; it is just a few through ignorance of their actions that are giving the rest a bad name.
If you wish to contact the local police team, all our details are on the Bradley Stoke page of the Avon and Somerset Constabulary website.
Last weekend’s incidents were just the latest in a series that have been reported on social media channels over the last few weeks.
One resident wrote on Nextdoor in relation to an incident on the night of 13th/14th July:
“Outside the Jubilee Centre there were about three scooters and a couple of cars full of youths shouting and throwing down rubbish. It was alarming to see that the moped riders had removed their helmets and were riding up and down the pavements doing ‘wheelies’. (I am advised ‘baffles’ removed) The noise must have woken up lots in the neighbourhood – how can it be fun at 10pm at night to wake up small children who were fast asleep in their beds and have them in tears by frightening them with such noise? The police were called (by several of us) but these idiots only spend so long in one place before driving off to another to disturb others, then they return after 20 minutes. It must have been like ‘cat and mouse’ for the Police. Really, go outside and have fun be together but please keep the noise down and be fair!”
In response to the same incident, local councillor Keith Cranney wrote:
“Scooters were racing around last evening and in the early hours of Friday morning the noise around 3am sounded like a strangled wasp. I would urge caution taking photographs owing to personal safety but all information and any CCTV evidence is useful to the police neighbourhood team officers; or contact 101 and report incidents.”
Similar incidents have been discussed on the Bradley Stoke Journal’s Facebook page, with over one hundred comments being made across two posts made on 1st July and 18th July.
OI! #BradleyStoke moped twats! Go home it's past your bedtime! Ffs😡😡😡
— Caz (@CazBradley) July 1, 2017
Idiot on the dirk bike driving round the streets waking everyone up at 3am in Bradley Stoke grow up & go home before I come out & find you.
— Rachael (@poweredbymeows) July 1, 2017
Photo: Library image of a Piaggio Zip 50 by Samihasib; licence: CC BY-SA 3.0; original: http://bit.ly/2v46x3Y
I don’t subscribe to the idea that they move to another part of South Gloucestershire, that is soft policing at its very worst and just shifts the problem. Confiscate their bikes, take them away for a period of time, 72 hours maybe, then if there’s a repeat crush it.