A targeted operation dealing with anti-social off-road bikers circles back to Wigan

After a successful intensification period in January of this year, a targeted operation dealing with anti-social off-road bikers returns to Wigan.

Over a four-day period, officers arrested four people and seized a total of 14 bikes as work continues in the district to deal with nuisance off-road quad and bike riders across Greater Manchester.

More info can be found here: Off-road bike operation in Wigan sees 14 bikes seized and four arrests made over four days of action | Greater Manchester Police

Operation Handbrake, is part of Wigan Borough’s Community Safety Partnership work, which sees us team up with our colleagues at Wigan Council and other key partners to tackle community concerns.

Wigan has approximately 70 per cent of its area designated as greenspace, with two canals running through large parts of the borough.

This attracts a growing number of unauthorised off-road motorbikes and quad bikes which use the public rights of way, bridleways, canal towpaths and loop lines.

We are seeing a repeated number of riders from other parts of England, with some coming from as far as Yorkshire and beyond.

Over the upcoming school holidays and summer months, there will be increased patrols around Bickershaw Country Park, the Aspull, West Leigh and Wutchy areas.

One of the preventative measures we have been using is SmartTag, a special, traceable forensic spray, which allows our officers to ‘tag’ an offender and their bike with a water-based marking solution.

The solution has a unique forensic code relating to the pressurised cannister it was sprayed from, which will help to link a suspect and vehicle to the scene of the offence.

More info on Smart Tag can be found here: SmartTag rolled out across Greater Manchester to help identify ASB offenders | Greater Manchester Police

Two riders have been successfully prosecuted for dangerous driving after being tagged by our officers.

Sergeant Dan Canavan from our Neighbourhood Policing Team in Wigan said: “These vehicles cause significant distress to our communities - from the excessive noise - to the damage to our local parks and green spaces, and most concerning, the serious safety risk they pose to innocent members of the public.

“I want to be absolutely clear; we will be using every tool and tactic at our disposal to identify and prosecute offenders.

“We understand the misery these vehicles cause to residents who simply want to enjoy their neighbourhoods in peace, and I want to assure the people of Wigan that we are taking this matter extremely seriously.

“We're asking the public to help us by reporting incidents. If you witness off-road bikes being used illegally, please call 101 with details of the location, description of the riders and vehicles, and if possible, where these vehicles are being stored.

“In an emergency situation, or if there's an immediate danger to public safety, always call 999. Your information, however small it may seem, could be the missing piece we need to take decisive action."

Councillor Dane Anderton, portfolio holder for police, crime and civil contingencies in Wigan said: “This targeted and tactical approach has been made possible through the collaborative efforts of all community safety partnership members and I would like to thank the teams involved for their contributions.

“This operation has already seen significant results, but this success won’t make us complacent, we will continue to work together to tackle issues that we know are impacting on our communities.

“A key component of this operation has been encouraging residents to report incidents. This intelligence from residents has been crucial to the operations success, enabling officers to take swift and effective action against offenders.

“Resident intelligence is really important to helping stop anti-social behaviour. If you have witnessed or been affected by off-road vehicles, please report it to us.”

Alongside our colleagues, we will have a stand at Haigh Hall for the public to come and chat to use about the operation, as well as highlighting the proper and improper use of off-road vehicles, and how they can report anti-social behaviour incidents of these nature to us.

The team will be there on Saturday 5 April and Sunday 6 April 2025, between 12pm and 4pm.