Hawke’s Bay Police are asking the public for information to stop dirt bike riders in their tracks, before they cause more serious harm.
Senior Sergeant Ross Smith says a woman and a young boy have been injured recently in two separate incidents due to "dangerous, and frankly stupid" behaviour by people on dirt bikes.
Last week on Wednesday an 8-year-old boy suffered a broken bone in his leg after being hit by a dirt bike rider in Flaxmere.
And on 24 April a woman was hit by a dirt bike outside a café in Hastings, causing moderate injuries, while the two young riders received critical and serious injuries.
"There continues to be ongoing issues with people of all ages riding dirt bikes illegally on roads, footpaths and parks, mainly in the Flaxmere and Camberley areas," Senior Sergeant Smith says.
"Riders are not wearing helmets or robust safety clothing. The motorbikes are often unregistered, not warranted and some are in poor condition and not road worthy.
"These riders have little regard for other road users, pedestrians or families using the parks and the public are paying the price.
“We are also urging parents of children who use dirt bikes to make sure they do so in a safe way, otherwise more people will get hurt," says Senior Sergeant Smith.
Police are prepared to take enforcement action when necessary.
We are asking people if they witness any of this kind of behaviour to report it to Police on 111 if it is happening now, or 105.police.govt.nz if it is after the fact.
If you see dirt bikes being ridden dangerously then please take photos or videos and send it into Hawke’s Bay Police through the 105 website.
You may have also captured them on other devices such as dash cams or house security cameras. This can be done anonymously through our 105 services.
Gain as much information as you are safely able to, including the type of activity, any descriptions of the bikes and riders, the areas where this activity occurs and where they may come from, and any photos or video footage.
If Police are not able to attend these incidents immediately, follow-up action will be taken.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre