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09-08-2004, 08:22 AM
“County boundaries will be erased” - road policing chief
SIX-FORCE WELCOME COMMITTEE AWAITS MOTORCYCLISTS
Officers from six police forces await thousands of bikes and cars pouring into North Yorkshire for the region’s biggest motorcycle event.
They will deploy marked and unmarked police bikes and cars, speed camera vans, and extra patrols and speed checks across the county and beyond, backed with North Yorkshire Police’s get-tough fast-track policy which can cost extreme speeders their licences within days of being caught.
The event is this weekend’s round of the British Superbike Championships, to be held at Croft Circuit near North Yorkshire’s northern border.
The police operation is a direct response to a horrifying statistic - 28 riders died on the county’s roads last year.
“The racing on the track will be great,” said Superintendent Martin Deacon, head of Road Policing, “but that’s the only place for risk-taking and high speeds. I have a very uncomplicated message for all riders and drivers coming to Croft -
“Enjoy your visit, and we will do our best to help you do that. But if you ride or drive dangerously we will catch you, and we will take strong action.”
This year’s hard-line policy, backed by North Yorkshire County Council, has helped cut the rider fatality toll; there have been 11 to date, compared to 16 by the same time last year. Supt Deacon sees no cause for celebration: “That’s still 11 too many. We are well aware that not all motorcycle road deaths are the fault of the rider and that is why our message applies to all road users.
“We cannot tolerate this number of fatalities, and we will not tolerate bad, stupid or irresponsible behaviour by any driver or rider.”
He said the participating police forces were going to erase county boundaries and would operate on all major routes to and from Croft.
North Yorkshire officers will be joined in the unique multi-force operation by officers from the Cleveland, Durham, Cumbria, Lancashire and Humberside forces. They will police routes to Croft both in their own counties and on roads going well into North Yorkshire. Said Supt Deacon: “A very high proportion of the riders who die on our roads come from the surrounding counties; our fellow officers from those counties have all the motivation you could need to join together in driving down this dreadful toll.”
The operation starts on Friday evening. Thousands of spectators will be arriving to camp in the Croft area, ready for practice on Saturday, and the Superbike meeting on Sunday. Many more are expected on Sunday, and a detailed traffic management scheme has been drawn up with the County Council and the Highways Agency to ease their entry and exit to the rural circuit.
Supt Deacon said the police operation was up front and no secret. “Our tactic is to let road users know that there will be a large number of road policing officers on the routes to North Yorkshire generally and Croft in particular. Most you will see, others you won’t - unless you ride or drive like an idiot.
“We will not be out there to persecute anyone or to spoil anyone’s legitimate pleasure. We will be out there to save lives, it’s as simple as that.”
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Note: So far 245 extreme speeders - those breaking limits by more than 30mph - have been or are being fast-tracked to North Yorkshire courts. 32 of them are motorcyclists.
SIX-FORCE WELCOME COMMITTEE AWAITS MOTORCYCLISTS
Officers from six police forces await thousands of bikes and cars pouring into North Yorkshire for the region’s biggest motorcycle event.
They will deploy marked and unmarked police bikes and cars, speed camera vans, and extra patrols and speed checks across the county and beyond, backed with North Yorkshire Police’s get-tough fast-track policy which can cost extreme speeders their licences within days of being caught.
The event is this weekend’s round of the British Superbike Championships, to be held at Croft Circuit near North Yorkshire’s northern border.
The police operation is a direct response to a horrifying statistic - 28 riders died on the county’s roads last year.
“The racing on the track will be great,” said Superintendent Martin Deacon, head of Road Policing, “but that’s the only place for risk-taking and high speeds. I have a very uncomplicated message for all riders and drivers coming to Croft -
“Enjoy your visit, and we will do our best to help you do that. But if you ride or drive dangerously we will catch you, and we will take strong action.”
This year’s hard-line policy, backed by North Yorkshire County Council, has helped cut the rider fatality toll; there have been 11 to date, compared to 16 by the same time last year. Supt Deacon sees no cause for celebration: “That’s still 11 too many. We are well aware that not all motorcycle road deaths are the fault of the rider and that is why our message applies to all road users.
“We cannot tolerate this number of fatalities, and we will not tolerate bad, stupid or irresponsible behaviour by any driver or rider.”
He said the participating police forces were going to erase county boundaries and would operate on all major routes to and from Croft.
North Yorkshire officers will be joined in the unique multi-force operation by officers from the Cleveland, Durham, Cumbria, Lancashire and Humberside forces. They will police routes to Croft both in their own counties and on roads going well into North Yorkshire. Said Supt Deacon: “A very high proportion of the riders who die on our roads come from the surrounding counties; our fellow officers from those counties have all the motivation you could need to join together in driving down this dreadful toll.”
The operation starts on Friday evening. Thousands of spectators will be arriving to camp in the Croft area, ready for practice on Saturday, and the Superbike meeting on Sunday. Many more are expected on Sunday, and a detailed traffic management scheme has been drawn up with the County Council and the Highways Agency to ease their entry and exit to the rural circuit.
Supt Deacon said the police operation was up front and no secret. “Our tactic is to let road users know that there will be a large number of road policing officers on the routes to North Yorkshire generally and Croft in particular. Most you will see, others you won’t - unless you ride or drive like an idiot.
“We will not be out there to persecute anyone or to spoil anyone’s legitimate pleasure. We will be out there to save lives, it’s as simple as that.”
==============================
Note: So far 245 extreme speeders - those breaking limits by more than 30mph - have been or are being fast-tracked to North Yorkshire courts. 32 of them are motorcyclists.