Cars damaged following incident in Burghley Drive, Corby

Did you see any motorcycles being ridden in an anti-social manner in or around Corby yesterday evening (Wednesday, September 18)?

Police officers are appealing for help to identify the rider and passenger of a red moped which was involved in an incident at the recreation ground in Burghley Drive on the town’s Exeter Estate.

At about 6.10pm, four motorcycles – described as electric crossers – drove onto the playing fields as various youth football matches were being played and performed wheelies before riding off towards the footpath on Oakley Road.

Shortly afterwards, two people wearing dark clothing and face coverings, on a moped rode into the recreation ground’s car park and squirted a noxious substance onto the body work of several vehicles, causing criminal damage to three.

Five people, who attempted to clean the cars, were decontaminated at the scene as a precaution before being medically assessed by East Midlands Ambulance Service. However, thankfully no one sustained any injuries.

Officers from the Corby Neighbourhood Policing Team would like to hear from anyone who may have CCTV, doorbell, mobile phone or dash-cam footage of any motorcycles being ridden dangerously or in an anti-social manner in the town yesterday.

Footage can be submitted via Operation Pacify – which is a dedicated policing operation set up two years ago in response to concerns from residents and businesses in Corby around the illegal, and dangerous, riding of motorbikes across the town.

Chief Inspector Paul Cash, head of local policing for Corby and Kettering, said: “We appreciate that incidents of this nature are hugely concerning to those involved and the local community, and I want to reassure everyone that we are taking this incident seriously.

“The Corby Neighbourhood Policing Team are leading the investigation and as part on their enquiries to establish who is responsible for this act of mindless criminal damage, they will be out and about talking to members of the local community.

“We’ve been working hard to tackle the on-going issues of illegal motorcycles in Corby. We have had some good results over the past two years and continue to put people in front of the courts.

“However, there is no room for complacency. There’s still a lot more work to be done, which is why we need the public’s continued support to tackle this as they are the eyes and ears of our communities.

“We would also encourage anyone who lives or works in the town to report any suspicious activity involving motorcycles to help us identify those responsible for not only causing misery to others but putting lives at risk because of their irresponsible behaviour.

“Anyone with concerns, whether connected to this incident or motorcycle-related anti-social behaviour in general, is encouraged to speak to the neighbourhood team as they will be happy to help.”

Witnesses or anyone with information which could assist the investigation are asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Please quote incident number 24000558987 when passing on any information to make sure it gets to the right person as quickly as possible.

Anyone with information about motorcycles being ridden illegally in Corby can email the Operation Pacify team directly at [email protected] or alternatively they can report it online at www.northants.police.uk/ro.

Always call 999 in an emergency.