MP Lisa Smart has written to the new police chief superintendent for Stockport to ask for progress on dealing with off road bikes, following a major operation in the area last year.

Operation Hurricane targeted the illegal use of bikes across Stockport, with dedicated officers on location to respond immediately to reports, and pursue criminals. 

Lisa Smart said: “It was a really positive step to get this operation run – I have been meeting with the police on a regular basis to ensure that this issue is given the attention it deserves. But we need ongoing progress. 

“Unfortunately the problem hasn’t gone away, and I want to know what action the police are taking to make sure that they have taken what they learnt from the operation and embedded it with the local teams.”

The MP also met with the new chief superintendent, Natalie Dalby, to raise this and a number of other issues, including the use of the force’s mobile police station across the constituency, Speedwatch schemes, and better enforcement of traffic and parking offences. 

Lisa added: “It was a very positive meeting, and I look forward to seeing more being done across the area to deal with these issues. I want to see more funding to allow the police to do their job effectively; and continue a constructive dialogue with the local officers on the ground.”

Shocking data from the Home Office has revealed a bike theft epidemic in Greater Manchester, with just 49 criminals charged or summonsed in 2,436 bike theft cases. Local Liberal Democrat MPs Lisa Smart and Tom Morrison said that bicycle theft is effectively ‘decriminalised’, and backed calls for an ‘Operation Bike Bait’ to tackle the offence. 

The MPs castigated recent figures by the Home Office showing the “disastrous” local police record on solving bike theft.

The Liberal Democrats have called for a dedicated national unit – ‘Operation Bike Bait’ – in the National Crime Agency that carries out “bike bait” operations to tackle the ongoing theft epidemic.

The unit would work with local police forces, including in Stockport, to carry out targeted operations, planting bikes fitted with trackers in theft hotspots so officers can catch offenders and uncover wider criminal networks.

It would also coordinate the collection and sharing of intelligence and best practice across forces, helping to build a national picture of bike theft and improve the policing response. 

Tom Morrison, Liberal Democrat MP for Cheadle, said: “Across Stockport, local people are furious about the effective decriminalisation of bike theft in our community. Hundreds are denied the justice they deserve after their property is stolen, letting criminals get away scot free. Our police do fantastic work in our community, but they need support and resource.”

Lisa Smart, Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove, added: “This is something that we have heard back from residents about so much. Unfortunately, there are locations where many people do not feel safe out on their bikes, whether that’s theft or the threatening behaviour of others. Having spoken to Tom, I know the impact it is having across the whole area.

“Given the ongoing cost of living crisis, many simply can’t afford to replace property that should rightfully be returned to them. This is leaving families unable to go out together, cutting people’s opportunities to exercise – and it’s just plain wrong. 

“I’m backing the calls for an ‘Operation Bike Bait’ to tackle this bike theft epidemic once and for all.” 

The staggering impact of cyber attacks on local businesses was raised by local MP Lisa Smart in the House of Commons this week, after the £1.9 billion cost of an attack on Jaguar Land Rover was revealed. Last year 612,000 businesses and 61,000 charities across the UK were targeted in cyber attacks.

With local businesses and charities under threat, she asked the Minister what progress was being made on the Government's Resilience Action Plan, and when legislation would come in to defend those businesses.

Lisa Smart, the Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove Constituency, said: “The cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover is reported to cost the UK economy £1.9 billion, making it the most expensive in British history. 

“It follows similar crippling incidents for many other companies. Individual companies are taking their own security decisions, but the impact of those decisions can be felt at a national and an international level. We need to know that progress is being made in this area.”

The legislation to deal with this was announced in the 2024 King’s Speech, but as yet nothing has been brought forward. 

Lisa added: “If you work in a local business, you often don’t have the time or the resources to deal with something on this scale, which can be crippling. That’s why the Government has to make sure it is standing up for UK businesses and employers right now.”

The scourge of illegal off road biking must be challenged by antisocial behaviour rules in the new Crime and Policing Bill, says local Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart.

The Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Home Affairs raised the intimidating behaviour of illegal bikes as part of the debate on the Bill in the House of Commons this week. 

Lisa Smart said: “Anti-social behaviour blights communities. It erodes trust, frays the social fabric and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable. I see it in my own constituency.

“We see illegal off road bikes in Heaviley, in Marple, in Offerton, in High Lane. They are a persistent blight on my community. They intimidate people and they endanger public safety.”

She also encouraged people to report the issue to the police particularly during the current Operation Hurricane in Stockport was taking place, targeting off road bikers. 

She added: “I want people to be safe on the streets, and to know that when they pay their taxes towards policing, they see beat officers on the streets as a result. 

“It is great that we have extra officers in the area targeting this persistent nuisance. I share people’s frustrations about reports that feel like they disappear off into the ether – right now they can make the most impact. 

“This is something that is not just an issue today, it has been an issue for months and years, and that is why I have been working so hard on getting extra resources and support for Greater Manchester Police to do something about it.

“We need everyone pulling together – residents, lawmakers and law enforcers, to make sure that the lawbreakers don’t get away with it any more.”

The Government’s plans to give police more powers to seize off-road bikes have been welcomed by Hazel Grove constituency MP Lisa Smart, while asking the Government to do more to give police the resources to track down the offenders. 

Lisa Smart challenged the Minister: “In Offerton, in my constituency, illegal off-road bikes are a persistent blight on the community – intimidating residents, creating noise pollution, and endangering public safety. While I welcome efforts to tackle antisocial behaviour, local police tell me the challenge isn’t a lack of powers but rather the need for the evidence and tools to identify and apprehend offenders, who often evade them on these bikes. 

“So, what steps is the government taking to ensure that police forces have the resources, technology, and practical support needed to enforce these new measures effectively and restore peace to communities like mine?”

The MP was already working with GMP on the issue, with residents across the constituency facing constant problems from the antisocial behaviour, putting pressure on for the reintroduction of the police’s off road bikes team earlier this year, and pressing for further changes.

She added: “I’m one of many residents in the area who see these bikes, without licence plates, with riders in balaclavas, speeding around dangerously, and causing havoc. Police struggle to go after them because chases can endanger other road users, and because they escape down paths and across fields where police can’t easily follow.

“The powers to seize bikes are worthless if the police can’t get to them – and that’s what is missing so far from the Government’s proposals.”