Police vow to continue targeting speeders

Friday, May 01, 2009, 06:30
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Police are stepping up a campaign to cut deaths on East Riding roads over the bank holiday – despite concerns about their tactics.
Motorcyclists have complained about what they say are unfair police measures to catch bikers in speed traps on isolated roads
They claim Humberside Police's Operation Achilles campaign, that aims to reduce speed and serious injury and fatal accidents, is biased against them.
Bikers hit out after the police used an unmarked truck with a speed camera concealed inside as part of a covert operation on Easter Monday.
Officers are expected to be out in force when a big biking event organised by the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) takes place at Sledmere House, near Driffield, this weekend.


And motorcyclists will be meeting Humberside Police officers later this month to discuss their issues with Operation Achilles.
Jolyon Lawson, East Yorkshire MAG chairman, said: "Bikers are always singled out in police publicity about the campaign.
"But it is only a minor percentage of bikers who use excessive speed, and the campaign seems to be biased against the whole motorcycling fraternity.
"The use of the unmarked truck in a covert operation on Easter Monday, when a lot of bikers were out on the roads, is one of the areas we will be discussing with the police."
Mr Lawson, 43, of Driffield, added if Operation Achilles was high-visibility it would be more affective.
Chief Superintendent Colin Andrews, of Humberside Police, defended their actions.
He said: "A number of tactics are employed by officers working on Operation Achilles and these are a mix of both overt and covert methods.
"Operation Achilles targets all motorists in a bid to raise driver awareness and is ultimately about saving lives."