Young repeat nuisance motorbike riders could be putting their parents’ Dundee council tenancies at risk, police have warned.
Officers dealt with 115 anti-social motorcycling calls across the city between February and April, with figures on the rise as a result of the warmer weather.
Incidents continue to be reported, with two helmetless riders spotted racing through Camperdown Park on a mini-moto at the weekend.
Inspector Kevin Williams said the police’s Operation Challenge, which tackles the issue, was targeting suspected repeat offenders.
He said: “The community investigation unit has been working hard, along with the council’s anti-social behaviour team.
“We visited the homes of several people in Linlathen we suspected of being responsible for a significant amount of the motorcycle annoyance, especially in the east end.
“Since these anti-social behaviour warnings were given, the calls have reduced dramatically, so I think we were targeting the right people.
“The warnings involve sitting with their parents and having them realise they could possibly lose the tenancy to their council houses. It seems to have hit the mark.”
Dundee’s east end recorded the highest number of motorcycle nuisance calls with 38, followed by the Strathmartine ward, which recorded 32 calls.
Mr Williams said: “The east end has seen an improvement in the last three or four weeks but that won’t come through until the next set of figures are collated.
“Officers follow up every call, because we can’t always respond at the time as the bikes move so quickly.
“We have had plain-clothes officers working with the community wardens and I think the hard work will be evident in the statistics when we get to September/October time, which is traditionally the end of the period when they are being used.”
Powers granted under Road Traffic and Anti-Social Behaviour legislation allow the police to seize vehicles including motorcycles and mini-motos where they have been driven without a licence or insurance or where they have been used in an anti-social manner.