Police Used Drones to Track Off-Road Bikes at Poldice Valley

Drones overhead, officers on foot, more on pedal cycles. Poldice Valley got a lot of attention in a single coordinated push against off-road bikes.

Officers and staff from three policing sectors came together for a day of action targeting the illegal and anti-social use of off-road motorcycles in the Poldice Valley area.

How officers covered the ground

The operation pulled in teams from Falmouth and Helston, Truro and Camborne. To cover difficult terrain, officers used high-visibility foot patrols, pedal cycles and drone technology. That let them watch activity across the valley and respond quickly.

The work focused on behaviour that causes real concern locally. That includes riding off-road without the landowner’s permission, which counts as trespass. It also covers careless or anti-social riding that alarms or distresses people, the use of untaxed, uninsured or unroadworthy vehicles, and damage to land, wildlife habitats and public spaces.

What the day produced

By the end of the operation:

• 3 Section 59 warnings issued for anti-social use of vehicles
• 1 Words of Advice given over land use and permissions

What a Section 59 warning actually means

If you ride off-road around here, this is the part worth knowing.

A Section 59 warning comes from the Police Reform Act 2002. Police issue one when a vehicle is used in a way that causes alarm, distress or annoyance and is linked to anti-social behaviour.

The warning is recorded against both the rider and the vehicle. It lasts 12 months. If the same rider or the same vehicle turns up doing the same thing again inside that year, officers can seize the vehicle on the spot. Getting it back can mean recovery and storage fees, and a vehicle that is never reclaimed can end up disposed of.

Talking to people using the valley

Through the day officers also spoke with cyclists and others using the area, partly to reassure them and partly to explain what was going on.

Police say they understand how much off-road bikes worry local people, and the damage they do to the land. The message from the day was that this was not a one-off.