Lucy Powell MP has joined the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to crush seized illegal vehicles at Greengate Metals in North Manchester. These vehicles have been seized due to criminal behaviour and anti-social behaviour across Manchester in offences such as drug dealing, dangerous driving and reckless driving through residential streets park sand public places.

The GMP has taken an active role in increasing the number of seizures and crushing to prevent these from being in the streets as some terrorise and cause havoc in local communities and to stand up to these people. By increasing these actions police are making sure streets and neighbourhoods are protected and safer.

This increased action is while the Labour’s Government is passing the new Crime and Sentencing Bill through Parliament which when passed will give police even more powers. It will make it even easier for them to seize these illegal bikes. By extending these powers into a wider range of nuisance vehicles able to be seized especially quad bikes as well which is an issue that has been cropping particularly recently, this bill will make streets and communities safer and more secure.

Watch the BBC’s coverage of it here.

Lucy Powell MP said:

 “This is about taking back control of our streets. Quadbikes aren’t toys – they’re being used to commit crime, spread fear, and wreak havoc in neighbourhoods across Manchester.

 I fully support GMP’s efforts thus far and the Labour Government’s new Crime and Policing Bill will give the police even stronger powers to act quickly, decisively, and visibly.

It’s simple: use a vehicle to terrorise your community, and we’ll seize it and crush it.

It’s (the Crime and Sentencing Bill) also tackling shoplifting, it’s also tackling knife crime, it’s also giving powers to police for respect orders so it really is tackling crime and antisocial behaviour in all of our communities across the region.

Lucy was joined by Dan Pickavance who is the Neighbourhood Inspector in the GMP who said:

 “Many thanks to Greengate Metals for safely disposing of them [off-road bikes]. I just want to thank the MP as well for the new legislation that she is fronting and pushing to help us and assist us to take more of these off the streets legally and safely.

We don’t want these vehicles to go back out into the communities as a lot of them are just plain illegal and there are so many of them on the roads today.”