Brand new eyes in the skies ensure off-road bike operation success
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There was literally nowhere to hide for nuisance or illegal off-road bikes today (Friday) as brand new high-spec drones were used in a pre-planned Operation Endurance in Redcar & Cleveland.
Greater Eston and Guisbrough NPT officers called upon police drone pilots using some of our seven new devices to identify and “lock on” to suspicious bikes and riders then direct officers on the ground to the bikes.
Four bikes were seized in just a few hours.
Inspector Ian Mitchell said: “The new force drones deployed for the very first time today by Sgt Docherty and PSCO Rahman helped ensure this operation was a success.
“Two bikes were actually observed and monitored from half a kilometre away; we were able to identify the exact building they were taken to and recover them from there!
“We seized four off-road bikes in total and dealt with two people for traffic-related offences; enquiries are ongoing.
“We’ll continue to run these operations with the support of our Drone Unit and will do all we can to remove more of these bikes.
“They can shatter the peace, ruin our green spaces and countryside and cause untold misery in our communities.”
Cleveland Police uses drones on a daily basis and they play a key role in missing person and concern for safety enquiries as well as in pre-planned operations such as Operation Endurance.
The force now has 11 drones in its fleet and 26 current drone licenced pilots, with 14 more officers being trained in their use.
The new drones have a raft of increased capabilities including increased flying time, ability to fly in windier conditions and in rain, and an amazing x 200 zoom (optical and digital zoom combined) including thermal and the ability to smart track both vehicles and people.
If you know where nuisance or illegal bikes are being stored or used, please report to Cleveland Police online via our website, or by phoning 101.
If you don’t want to speak to police, you can report online to www.crimestoppers-uk.org or phone them on 0800 555 111.