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Jeff Cuthbert is the police and crime commissioner for Gwent. He represents Labour.
I recently joined a round table meeting with colleagues from the police, local authorities and commoners’ associations to discuss off-road biking.
Gwent Police reported that between May 2022 and April 2023 they received 1,174 reports of illegal off-road vehicles with the highest number of reports coming from the Caerphilly area. I know that many more incidents will have gone unreported.
Off-road vehicles are a common cause of concern for residents, and I receive more emails about this issue than any other crime type.
However, there are those that claim it is a victimless crime and trying to tackle it at all is a waste of police resources. This is far from the case.
Illegal off-roading causes injury, distress and even death to grazing animals. The threatening behaviour from some riders makes it hard for farmers to do their jobs and it is harming their livelihoods.
Wild animal habitats, green spaces, walking and cycling routes are being ruined by this activity. There is a greater risk of flooding as the landscape’s natural defences are being destroyed.
Normal road users and pedestrians are also at risk from reckless riding. Many of these vehicles are uninsured, untaxed and shouldn’t be on the roads.
The partners at the meeting recognised how hard this crime is to police. Catching illegal riders in the act is difficult over such vast areas of countryside and police have limited powers to take preventative measures.
However, Gwent Police continues to be proactive despite these challenges.
Officers have seized more than 90 off-road vehicles in the last year. More than a quarter of these were in the Caerphilly borough. They have also been working to identify and disrupt commercial organisations that bring paying customers to the area to ride illegally.
Given the complexity of the problem, and the resources available, I am confident that the police are doing the best they can to try and tackle this crime. But to take effective action the police need people to report information. So please, if you witness anyone using off-road vehicles illegally, report it to Gwent Police on 101 or 999 if it is an emergency.
I was pleased to see a good turnout for Gwent Police’s crime prevention event at ASDA in Blackwood recently. This is part of the work we are doing through the Home Office’s Safer Streets fund to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour in the town.
The police gave out almost 500 free home and vehicle safety packs to residents. These included items like property marking kits, number plate security kits and shed alarms.
Back in December 2022, 18 new CCTV cameras were also installed throughout Blackwood which will deter crime and assist officers carrying out investigations in the area.
The project represents the result of many months of partnership work between my office, Gwent Police and Caerphilly County Borough Council and I am delighted to see it making a difference in the community.
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