PSNI target anti-social behaviour with scheme to educate scrambler riders

A PSNI scheme aimed at helping reduce anti-social behaviour, injuries and deaths from scrambler bikes in Newtownabbey has returned for a second year.

The Motorcycle Awareness Project runs over six-weeks, with most participants in the project are selected by local Neighbourhood officers as they are viewed as likely to become involved in anti-social behaviour.

The project provides police with the opportunity to educate young people on the correct, safe, and appropriate way to ride off-road motorcycles.

Constable Chris Boyd from the Neighbourhood Policing Team, who is the Newtownabbey lead for the project said: “This project is well established in the Newtownabbey area and we are delighted to be able to run the programme again.

"Now in its second year and oversubscribed, the success of this project is evident in the reduction of anti-social behaviour incidents in the area.

“The aim of this project is always the same: to improve road safety, reduce anti-social behaviour and problem solve, by giving our young people an opportunity to be professionally taught how to use these vehicles in a safe and controlled environment with a strong emphasis on future behaviours.

“The programme aims to promote understanding of the dangers associated with off-road motorcycling and teach the fundamental skills needed to ride safely, and it is hoped that the young people will go on and encourage their peers with a view to getting involved in this fantastic sport at a competitive level.

"The group of students we are currently teaching, are engaging well and their knowledge and skill level will hopefully increase over the comings weeks and I look forward to seeing what these young people can achieve.”

According to PSNI figures, the scheme is having a positive impact.

“Between April 2019 – March 2020, there were 94 incidents involving scramblers and quad bikes recorded in the Newtownabbey area and this figure increased between April 2020 – March 2021, with 204 incidents being logged by police,” Chief Inspector Graham Dodds, Head of Road Policing said.

“Following the problem solving approach by the team and the MAP course, we have started to see a reduction in these incidents, with 21 incidents recorded between April 2021 – March 2022 and only 10 incidents up to December 2022. That’s a significant reduction of 267 incidents and a 90.6% decrease overall in the last four years.”

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