Calls to stop no-helmet moped riders who "drive like lunatics" in Lancaster and Morecambe

Wednesday, 18 December 2024 14:39

By Greg Lambert @greglam72

Detective Inspector Adie Knowles spoke out about the issue on Beyond Radio on Tuesday

A police detective inspector has spoken out on Beyond Radio about people who ride mopeds or e-scooters dangerously with no helmets on.

Det Insp Adie Knowles, of Lancaster and Morecambe Police, was replying to a question from a listener on his regular 'Beyond the Beat' on The Resident radio show on Tuesday.

The listener asked: "What will be done about moped riders without helmets?

"Seen four on one moped today on the bypass."

Det Insp Knowles said that people using trials bikes, mopeds, e-scooters, some of them stolen, and "driving them like lunatics, with no helmets...continues to be a serious concern."

LISTEN to this week's episode of Beyond the Beat in full

"We want to stop them," he said.

"But the issue is, you have to risk assess when you start pursuing anyone on that kind of vehicle, and the risk you might put them in.

"A lot of the general public would say, well, you just pursue them. They need stopping.

"Personally I have an attitude that we need to do everything we can to try to stop the issue.

"A lot of the time, people know who the individuals are who are using these bikes in an anti-social manner.

"If we know who they are, we can be proactive and target them before they get their hands on them, or we can apply to get search warrants if we think they are stolen.

"It's not just a case of, oh there they are flying down the link road. There's the predicament of the risk around pursuing them.

"Information is everything. Let us know if you do know the individuals who are using such vehicles.

"I can assure the public that it's one of the key priorities for our road policing (team), who are very keen to stop people who are not only a danger to themselves riding with no helmets on, but also to the wider public because of how dangerously they are riding them.

"If you see people driving dangerously with no helmet on, we need to know about it."

If you see a crime in progress, call 999.

Or call local police on 101 or phone Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.