THE Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) who was pushing for mandatory motorcycle trackers has admitted that he will rethink his proposal after the public outcry.
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The idea dreamt up by PCC Kim McGuinness was that all motorcycles should be fitted with tracking devices that will track speed and location.
At the time the Northumbria PCC website stated, ‘Kim is urging Policing Minister Kit Malthouse to give the green light to allow for tracker devices to be fitted to all motorbikes so their whereabouts and speed can be monitored – a move to deter would-be criminals.’
Obviously, this prompted widespread outcry from motorcyclists across the country and smacks of desperation from the police chief. Given the significant amount of media coverage the statement got, and the subsequent social media comments, it didn’t take long for McGuinness to see the issues with the idea.
Now though, McGuinness has backpedaled on the plan, although has still not totally binned the idea of mandatory trackers on all motorcycles.
They said:
“These proposals caused concern to some law-abiding bikers, and we’d like to make clear that we are now working with motorcycle groups to look at more acceptable proposals.”
“The Commissioner is pleased that this has opened up conversation with the relevant parties and is now looking forward to working with them in finding solutions to tackle bike-related ASB [anti-social behaviour] caused by a very small minority of bike users. Anyone with ideas and suggestions that will help cut this crime and keep people safe is encouraged to contact the office.”
