Today I spoke in Parliament to call for action on antisocial motorbike racing that is plaguing residents in parts of the city.
Over the last few months, I’ve spoken to residents in Weston Shore and parts of Woolston who have been plagued by noisy motorbikes being ridden at unsafe speeds. I’ve been working with local ward councillors and speaking to police about enforcement. And today, I asked the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP, for reassurance that new powers in the government’s Police and Crime Bill will be used by police to deal with the scourge of noisy bikes.
I asked the Home Secretary:
“The constituents around Weston Shore in my Southampton Itchen constituency have had enough. [There is] antisocial motorbike racing outside their homes every night [and] the constant noise disturbs everyone’s sleep and yet they’ve seen no recent enforcement in recent years. As the Secretary of State has outlined, further powers are coming. So can she confirm that she expects local police forces to use these powers fully and to tackle this issue seriously so that this blight on my constituent’s lives can be stopped?”
In response, the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP, said:
“Off road bikes careering through estates and communities are dangerous and an antisocial nightmare. That is why we’re giving police stronger powers to seize bikes without the need for repeated warnings in order to help keep our streets safe”
“We’ve got too many areas facing the blight of these off-road bikes and street racing. At the moment, the police have to give multiple warnings – it can be two strikes, three strikes and the bikes are still on the street. That is not good enough and that is why we want to make it much easier so that it’s one strike and you’re out.”
The Labour government’s Police and Crime Bill is currently making its way through Parliament. When it becomes law, Police will be given the power to seize vehicles that cause havoc to communities, allowing them to deal with the scourge of off-road bikes in public parks and dangerous e-scooters on pavements.
Currently, police must wait 14 days before being able to dispose of a vehicle, making it easier for offenders to reclaim their vehicles and with a limited deterrent to repeat offending.
The measure to fast-track the disposal of vehicles comes alongside additional proposals to give police stronger powers to seize any vehicles involved in antisocial behaviour, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing them. Combined, these new powers will help tackle the scourge of vehicle-driven antisocial behaviour by sending a clear message to would-be offenders and local communities that swift justice will be delivered and this behaviour not tolerated.