[ad_1]
Motorcyclists have reportedly been trashing an Auckland park and terrorizing park users for the better part of a year, but according to residents, the police have done little to help.
Residents say Papakura’s Keri Downs Park has become an unofficial motorcycle circuit with motorcyclists touring the park and sports fields on a daily basis, regardless of who uses the park or the authorities trying to stop them.
Some park users reported both verbal and physical threats towards them, and many avoid the park in the evenings and nights when there are often large groups of cyclists.
Supplied
One of the many cyclists who have been photographed riding through Keri Downs Park in Papakura.
In response, they have called the police to deal with the hoons, but have found the response to be weak or nonexistent. Police say security has been a factor in trying to stop the passengers.
READ MORE:
* ‘Crime wave’ hits motorcycles in Auckland city car parks
Papakura local board chairman Brent Catchpole said he had gone to the park after receiving several complaints. Once there, he found people driving Utes into the park and unloading motorcycles to ride them.
When he faced a group of teenage bikers, he was insulted, intimidated and told to leave, he said.
“The community is so frustrated that they just desperately pull their hair out,” Catchpole said.
Supplied / Stuff
Papakura local board chairman Brent Catchpole said the problem was far from resolved.
He said it had become dangerous for park patrons and that he is concerned about public safety.
“At the moment when the bicycles are there, the children do not dare to go out for fear of being beaten.”
The local board is receiving legal advice on what they can do to prevent people from passing through the park, but so far there seems to be no end in sight.
One resident, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said he was “completely out of control.”
He often called the police when the bikes were in the park, but the police response had waned over time, they claimed.
“[The police] say they try to stop them then [the riders] just go to the other end of the park, ”he said.
In a video shown to Things, one of the passengers stops near a parked police car and then accelerates. Seconds later, the patrol car drives away, leaving the park in the opposite direction to that of the motorcycle.
NZ POLICE
Police are asking the public for help after they released new images of a massive ride that inundated Auckland’s roads with motorcycles.
Inspector Kay Lane, Manukau County Road Police Manager, said police were aware of the complaints, but safety was a factor in trying to stop the passengers.
“Usually these motorcyclists are in backpacks, they don’t wear helmets, and many are young,” he said.
“There are safety risks that should be considered when taking direct intervention at that time and it is often more appropriate to take follow-up action.
He said there had been an increase in reports of dirt bikes in the Manukau counties area and that police needed help from the public to catch the bikers.
Dozens of cyclists flooded Auckland’s streets and highways on Waitangi day, performing stunts and disobeying the rules of the road.
Police are still seeking information on the incident, with eight bicycles seized and at least one person charged so far.
Any information can be provided to the police by calling 105.
