MAG is approaching the National Police Chiefs’ Council to request a review of the rowdy events which were widely reported on Halloween night. MAG challenges the claim that order can be restored through restrictions on the liberties of law-abiding citizens.
MAG is seeking a summit with representatives of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to gauge their willingness to find more effective ways of addressing the crime which caused fear and inconvenience to the public during Halloween 2016.
Chair of MAG, Selina Lavender, said ‘the police rightly pointed out that the yobbish behaviour which took place in various cities on 31st October was nothing to do with legitimate motorcycling. This same message was shared by MAG on social media and also on the national news. However, the problem still persists, despite the introduction of some very harsh injunctions in many of the areas where the lawless behaviour took place.
‘MAG has long argued that the introduction of such restrictive rules makes a mockery of existing laws. What’s the benefit of banning two or more motorbikes from riding together, or of outlawing the use of a vehicle horn? It’s not logical and could even compromise safety. Nor did it prevent the anti-social behaviour in any measurable way.’
Selina hopes the discussions with the police will lead to a serious review of these poorly-worded injunctions, with advice from the NPCC to replace the injunctions with more sensible measures. ‘We’re on-side with the authorities regarding tackling the anti-social behaviour. We just think it’s better to approach the whole matter with enforceable, reasonable measures; not ones which turn vast numbers of law-abiding riders into criminals, whilst doing nothing to prevent the small number of idiots from doing what they like.’
Contact MAG at 01926 844 064 or central-office@mag-uk.org