Howick board chair Bruce Kendall says ‘lawless’ dirt bike riders ‘causing havoc’ on Auckland roads

Law-breaking dirt bike riders are wreaking havoc on East Auckland roads, says a local board chair. Bruce Kendall said the latest violent assault coming as “no surprise to the community”.

Speaking on Ryan Bridge TODAY outside Ormiston Police Station, Howick Local Board chair Bruce Kendall said the phenomenon has been ongoing “for a while” and he was now meeting with officials to reiterate the importance of stopping the perpetrators.

Dashcam footage captured the grievous assault of a motorist on April 25 by several dirt bike riders in Pakūranga, who were seen blocking the driver’s path and swarming his vehicle at a red light before stealing his keys.

“These people on bikes are clearly quite lawless,” Kendall said.

“I’ve already had meetings [with police] about these people, and it’s been very difficult to catch them because they can just take off through parks.”

Because of the riders’ aggressive and unpredictable behaviour, Kendall said police have told the community to exercise caution if confronted, advising individuals stay in their cars, contact police and be careful of videoing the group in case it aggravates the situation.

Police have advised the public to exercise caution around dirt bike riders on Auckland roads, as they continue to look for those involved in a grievous assault in Pakūranga last month. Photo / Dean Purcell

“These sorts of things have been happening for a while,” Kendall said.

“It’s no surprise to the community in a sense, because we’ve seen these people going around in convoys, doing wheel stands down the wrong side of the road, not wearing helmets, no license plates, tearing through parks and reserves, tearing up the ground.

“They’re just causing havoc.”

Kendall said it was ”disappointing” to see the footage of the April 25 assault.

“I am angry that they are behaving like this, and I am angry that we’re not able to get on top of it.”

He said the dirt bikes were distinguished by unique characteristics, and police had been making inquiries with members of public who may know more about the offenders or their vehicles.

“They’ve been tracking them down from time to time and charging them and taking away their bikes, but it’s pretty difficult because you’ll see that they’ve all got face masks on,” Kendall said.

Counties Manukau East Area Commander Inspector Rod Honan said police were looking into other reports about unruly dirt bike riders.

“At the intersection with Fortunes Rd, the riders have allegedly intimidated another driver in their vehicle,” Honan said.

“The driver has exited their vehicle before having been reportedly assaulted by the riders.

“It is also believed the group of riders have taken the driver’s keys to their vehicle, before fleeing the area.

“The driver made their way to safety nearby and received medical attention.”

A witness to the assault said he exited his car and intervened “to calm things down”, leading the biker group to retreat.

Others came to the driver’s aid as the alleged offenders drove away, the witness said, helping move his car off the road and contacting emergency services.

While it was unclear what caused the confrontation, the witness said the bikers had been driving recklessly and endangering other motorists beforehand, and many in the community had recalled similar interactions with such groups.

“These guys are getting away with more and more by the looks of [it],” they said.

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