Quad bikes and antisocial behaviour

I've heard a lot of complaints about anti-social use of quad bikes and off road bikes. These have been passed on to the local police, who have responded, despite their limited resources.

Sadly, due to service cuts, there aren't as many traffic officers trained to ride the off-road bikes, so there is a huge demand for their services. These are the team that can conduct pursuits safely across areas like Fox Hollies Park - there used to be a unit operating out of Stechford, but that was removed. Nevertheless, the police have put together a sufficiently persuasive bid that saw the bikes put to work in Acocks Green and they recovered the stolen bike in the next picture.

They have also been tackling quad bikers who are driving in an anti-social manner, particularly on the Gospel Estate. Two have so far been issued with s59 notices, which means if they are caught repeating the behaviour, the drivers will have the bikes removed and impounded. They then face a £250 recovery charge, plus £10 a day until the bike is collected by somebody insured to take it.

The police have also had helicopter support to deal with the problem - with the chopper even lifting on a number of occasions specifically to support operations against anti-social behaviour and vehicle theft in Acocks Green.

The problems haven't been fixed, but it is really good to hear that the police have been able to respond to the concerns raised.

They always need your support, so if you have any information that can help tackle this behaviour, you can always contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The Prince's Trust Team 136

I spent part of Wednesday evening with Team 136, who are part of the Prince's Trust scheme that operates out of Acocks Green Police station, supported by PC Stuart Toogood and PCSO Fae Palmer. They search out young people who have lost their way a little - some have records of trouble with the police, some have had problems finding work and have had their confidence knocked by repeated rejection. Many had problems at school and left with few qualifications and some have a history of substance abuse. The easy answer is to mark them down as failures or scroungers and abandon them to the system, but that's not part of the plan for the Prince's Trust, Solihull College and the police.

Last night, we heard their stories as they stood in front of an audience of friends, family, previous scheme graduates and assorted invited guests. They talked through the scheme - their recruitment, the residential team building week rock climbing, hiking, kayaking and gorge walking on the Welsh border (a free holiday if you believe the Daily Mail), their work with groups of disabled youngsters and the elderly, fund raising for their project and building a playground on Cheddar Road. After that, they prepared their CVs and had a period of work experience with a range of local employers, including Jaguar Land Rover, DHL and other companies and social enterprises.

Their stories were inspiring - the young woman who has had a string of short term jobs. She said that this scheme had "made her realise that she wasn't as useless as she thought she was." She's starting an apprenticeship next week at a social enterprise dealing with those recovering from substance abuse. Others are going through the recruitment process at JLR - which includes a drug test - and another is a groundbreaker. He had a placement at DHL and they have asked him to return as an employee - the first time that the scheme has had someone placed there, so his success will influence their decision to take on others. I had a chat with one proud dad who was delighted that his son had a job so that he could help support his own son.

This is a really effective programme that clearly has results - it gives these young people a real chance to restart their lives in employment. The fact that it works is a tribute to the Trust, West Midlands Police and the officers that run it. It was an absolute pleasure and an honour to be invited.

Summer Activities in Yardley - Bus Plus

Part funded through the Acocks Green Community Chest, this a range of free or low cost activities for young people across the district.