Police CCTV van deters off-roads bikers at country park

The presence of a new CCTV van prevented nuisance off-road riders from entering Broxtowe Country Park during a recent operation.

Complaints about off-road bikers are some of the most common concerns received by City West officers around antisocial behaviour (ASB).

That’s why the neighbourhood team elected to deploy a state-of-the-art vehicle to help them keep an eye on troublemakers last Wednesday (28 May).

With an ability to capture a 360-degree view of an area using a telescopic mast, the police van was parked out in the open to deter potential offenders.

It was very much successful on that front during last week’s ASB day of action, with one off-road bike seen to drive onto the country park before immediately turning around.

That individual was recorded by the van’s camera, which has the capacity to cover a wide area and zoom in directly on offenders.

While the van is staffed by specially trained officers, footage can also be viewed remotely from the force control room to allow, where necessary, for real-time information to be passed onto officers.

Ahead of its successful roll out in Broxtowe last Wednesday, the City West team also utilised the van a few weeks earlier to disrupt those involved in ASB around Harvey Hadden Sports Village in Bilborough.

On that occasion, the CCTV vehicle’s cameras were able to identify 14 young people who had been causing issues, with officers then handing out warning notices to each of them during visits to their parents or guardians.

The City West team are now planning more days of action and further deployments of the van to areas with growing ASB concerns, following last week’s planned activity.

PC Jonny Morgan, of the City West neighbourhood policing team, said:

“We were really pleased to see the impact the police CCTV van had, in terms of keeping the country park free of off-road bikers.

“Using the 360-degree dual view camera system in the van, we were able to see the role the vehicle had in deterring nuisance bikers, with one rider literally spotting us, turning straight around and leaving the park.

“While in the park, our officers also interacted with members of the public to raise awareness on how to report issues to us, while we also did a knife sweep using metal detectors to try and identify any hidden blades.

“Thankfully, we didn’t find any weapons, so it proved to be a very successful day all-round, and we will definitely look to repeat it soon and bring the CCTV van back on the park to deter any other forms of criminality.”

The police CCTV van was rolled out as part of a project funded by just under £95,000 from the Home Office.

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden said:

“Tackling serious violence and antisocial behaviour is a cornerstone of my Police and Crime Plan, and I am committed to making Nottinghamshire a safer place for all.

“The new ASB van has provided a unique and valuable extra resource that is being used to target areas where serious violence and antisocial behaviour are most prevalent.

“It is great to hear of the success it is already having, with the initiative sending a clear message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated, and we will continue to do everything we can to protect residents and ensure they feel safe in their homes and neighbourhoods.”