Police in Dundee have turned to a new tactic in a bid to crack down on the use of off-road motorbikes in the city.
Officers have been using ‘DNA tagging spray’ to trace offenders involved in the anti-social use of motorcycles.
Locals have complained for years about the bikes being used dangerously on city streets.
Last summer, a dog was killed by an off-road biker in Douglas.
Now, Police Scotland says it has turned to the use of an invisible spray to target offenders.
A post on X said: “(Tayside road policing) have been tackling anti-social riding in Dundee with three nuisance off-road riders being tagged with DNA tagging spray while riding in residential areas of the city last night (Tuesday).
“Expect a knock at the door soon!”
How does ‘DNA tagging spray’ being used by Dundee police work?
Desploted as a fine mist, SelectaDNA Tagging Spray marks the clothes, skin and vehicles of anyone using motorbikes in an anti-social or criminal way.
The spray is invisible to the naked eye but does not wash off, and can help forensically link offenders to specific incidents, even after the passage of time.
It is already used for marking property to deter and detect stolen goods in housebreaking and rural crime incidents.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “The use of this tagging spray is another tool officers will have at their disposal to help detect illegal and anti-social activity associated with motorcycle and bike crime.
“We know that this issue has been a concern for communities, and we’ve had a number of local projects ongoing in a bid to help tackle this over recent months and years.
“We hope this will be reflected in our communities as we continue to work hard to bring perpetrators to justice.
“I’d ask the public to continue to work with us to help in apprehending those taking part in anti-social behaviour and hold them to account throughout our area.
“If you wish to report crime in your area, you can do so by contacting us on 101. You can also phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
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