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Brakes put on Wakefield car park boy racers
Boy racers who tear around Wakefield's car parks and other parkland are in the sights of the police.
In their high-performance "hotted-up" cars the irresponsible drivers are making life unpleasant for shoppers and visitors as they screech around retail outlet vehicle parks and Thornes Park.
The city's central Neighbourhood Policing Team and Wakefield Council's antisocial behaviour unit are targeting the nuisance drivers with barriers and speed bumps and may apply noise pollution laws to kill the din.
One hooligan driver who travelled to Wakefield from Goole had his car seized and was faced with contacting relatives to get a ride home.
Drivers of five other vehicles were given police warnings about their driving and fixed penalty notice fines were also issued to the drivers of five other vehicles. One man was arrested for being in breach of an antisocial behaviour order.
The activities of the problem drivers was raised at the first PACT (Partners and Communities Together) meeting at St James' Church in Thornes, attended by over 140 residents.
Police say the high performance or upgraded cars are being used by the drivers to show off to friends, but the effect of the loud exhausts and screeching tyres is to alarm innocent bystanders.
Similar problems caused by drivers in Thornes Park have led police and partner agencies to secure thousands of pounds to install traffic calming measures.
There is also a plan for parking restrictions to prevent drivers from parking up to merely socialise.
Insp Richard Close, of Wakefield Central NPT, said: "As long as the community identify this to be a problem my team will continue to target this form of antisocial behaviour.
"Drivers who may think they are competent and capable of driving at speed often haven't got the first clue about vehicle control and stability.
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"We are working to disrupt this pastime of racing around the car parks and open spaces. We will work to close barriers, install speed bumps and take enforcement action against illegal acts.
"The minimum to be expected is the seizure of the driver's vehicle.
"In the coming weeks we will be continuing with our campaign and even look towards noise pollution legislation where drivers make excessive noise from heavily adapted exhausts, working together we will make Wakefield undesirable for a joy ride."
Coun Olivia Rowley, Wakefield Council's cabinet member for community safety and cohesion, said: "The community has identified this as a problem and the council and police have again teamed-up to tackle an issue affecting local people. It's easy to forget how dangerous a car is in the wrong hands – not only to the driver and passengers but to everyone else."
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
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