Police arrest teen in Gravesend off-road bike operation

Ongoing work to combat the anti-social use of off-road bikes has been carried out in Gravesend.

The five-day operation ran between Wednesday 26 and Sunday 30 July 2023 and covered various areas in the town including Riverview, Kings Farm, Northfleet, Singlewell and Meopham.

During the operation, which was led by officers from North Kent’s Community Safety Unit, police from several teams including the Roads Policing Unit, Rural Task Force, Road Safety Unit and the police helicopter all worked together to target anti-social behaviour involving the vehicles.

Over the course of the operation six vehicles were seized, nine riders were issued with Traffic Offence Reports and three Section 59 orders were issued.

A stolen quad bike, valued at around £8,000 was also recovered after it had been reported stolen from a farm in Cobham. The bike was found in Darenth and a teenager was arrested in connection with burglary, theft of a motor vehicle and possession of class A drugs with intent to supply. He has since been released under investigation while further enquiries are made.

During the operation a bike reported stolen from Medway was also found in Wallis Park, Northfleet, and was returned to its owner. Enquiries are ongoing to identify the offenders.

Inspector James Beautridge of north Kent’s Community Safety Unit said: ‘This proactive operation was carried out in response to concerns raised by residents about riders who persist in using off-road motorbikes and quad bikes in public areas and on footpaths.

‘It is strictly forbidden to use these types of vehicles on public land such as bridleways, footpaths, public parks and open spaces.

‘We understand the impact this type of anti-social behaviour has on residents and want our community to know we take this type of criminality seriously. This is why we carry out proactive operations such as this. We will continue to target those who repeatedly commit anti-social behaviour and we will not tolerate this behaviour in our community. There will be robust repercussions and further action will be taken if appropriate.’

Kent Police is focusing on tackling violent crime as part of the force’s ongoing Safer Summer initiative. Anybody who wishes to report incidents should report it online via the Kent Police website.

Click here for more information about Safer Summer.