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Police chase ‘menacing’ trail bike riders

Police have issued this photo of three of the four illegal trail bike riders in Hawker.

Four male trail bike riders were reported for illegal, dangerous riding in Hawker last month, but the police are still looking for them.

At about 7.50pm on January 8, members of the public saw them riding the bikes in the Pinnacle Nature Reserve – on the Springvale and Dowling track.

Witnesses reported seeing them riding illegally, forcing people from walking paths and conducting burnouts, resulting in holes in the track.

A/Inspector Mark Richardson, officer in charge of Belconnen Police Station, said riding trail bikes, dirt bikes, and other motorised vehicles in suburban off-road areas was not permitted anywhere in the ACT.

“This kind of behaviour is incredibly dangerous and poses a significant risk to the community who are using these tracks for their intended purpose,” he said.

“In this particular incident, a member of the public who was walking their dog at the time was required to take evasive action to avoid being hit by one of these riders.

“Pedestrians using parks and footpaths shouldn’t have to keep an eye out for dirt bikes, and a collision in these circumstances could have fatal consequences.

“We need information on these incidents from the public – the more reports we receive, the better an intelligence picture we can create of these offenders.”

Anyone with information should call 1800 333000, or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website.

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One Response to Police chase ‘menacing’ trail bike riders

cbrapsycho says: 7 February 2025 at 10:48 am

By that logic pedestrians shouldn’t have to look out for e-bikes and e-scooters or even normal bicycles that come up on them silently from behind and then race past them, yet that is life now in the ACT.

If a pedestrian steps to the side for any reason, they stand a good chance of getting hit, as silent scooter/bike riders assume that pedestrians will not deviate in their walking path, yet often it is necessary to avoid an obstacle such as a tree root or swarming ants.

At least with trail bikes and dirt bikes you can hear them coming!

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