Off-road vehicle seized
Days after the launch of the anti social behaviour
campaign SpringWatch police have seized an off road bike in Parr,
St. Helens.
One of the problems in the borough is the number of off road
vehicle incidents at this time of year. The hard hitting
campaign with a tag line of Off road is off limits has set out to
beat last years success.
In 2013 there was an 18 per cent drop in the total number of
anti-social behaviour incidents reported to Merseyside Police in
April - down from 538 to 478 - compared with the previous
year.
And with nights already getting lighter, campaign organisers are
keen to ensure everyone is aware of the drive to tackle grass
fires, off-road vehicle nuisance, neighbourhood nuisance and dog
fouling - all of which tend to increase when the clocks go
forward.
But to ensure the campaign is effective, members of the public are
being asked to play their part too - as St Helens Council's Cabinet
Member for Regeneration, Housing, Planning and Community Safety,
Councillor Richard McCauley explained: "We're asking residents to
be our eyes and ears - so we can all help keep St Helens safe and
clean this spring," he said.
"When you see off-road vehicles out causing a nuisance in the
community, or anyone looking to set a nuisance fire in parks,
please report it to the Police on 101. This type of behaviour will
not be tolerated, and the police will seize off-road vehicles and
take legal action on arson."
As usual, the SpringWatch campaign is a joint initiative involving
St Helens Council, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, Merseyside
Police and registered social landlords like Helena
Partnerships.
As well as stepping up police patrols in hot-spot locations, a
wide-range of youth activities will be on offer through St Helens
Council's Youth Service and Sports Development Service to keep
young people entertained over the Easter holidays.
Helena Partnerships and Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service will
be inviting 200 young people along to a community event at St
Helens Community Fire Station as part of this year's Springwatch
campaign working with partners across St Helens.
Anyone who is concerned about anti-social behaviour in their area
is asked to contact Merseyside Police via the non-emergency 101
number or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
To find out about the activities available for young people this
spring go to http://yaz.sthelens.gov.uk/
For more information about the spring anti-social behaviour
campaign, please visit: www.safersthelens.org.uk