Motor men are 'Rangers in Paradise'

Gently touring round the district parks and recreation areas, inspecting the playgrounds, keeping an eye on the cemeteries and woodlands and all the time enjoying the hassle-free fresh air.

In reality it couldn't be different.

Rangers can be the target of stone and bottle throwers, people with air rifles and catapults and even maniacs who stretch taut wire across an area where they expect a biker to appear.

Luckily, in the 13 years that Geoff Dudman has been in charge of the service from the base in Bailey Hills, Bingley, only one rider has been seriously injured, when he was attacked by a gang of youths.

If they are not dodging the occasional missile - and broken glass under their tyres - park rangers are helping the police swoop on off-road bike tearaways, targeting pet lovers who allow their animals to foul the parks and acting as guards for maintenance workers.

Only recently, park rangers were called to The Greenway at Undercliffe to watch over maintenance workers who had been stoned by youths.

They scrutinise the parks for problems relating to drug use and each ranger is supplied with facilities to remove syringes.

But their powers are relatively limited. Under bylaws they can eject people from the park and the Environmental Protection Act allows them to issue £25 fixed penalty fines to dog foulers.

In the last two years they have issued 315 and eight cases have gone as far as the magistrates court, one case resulting in a £300 fine and costs.

They act as truancy spotters during term time informing schools of pupils who should be in the classroom and not in the park and also liaise with Education Social Workers.

But despite the negative side, Geoff, a former merchant navy navigator from Steeton, and his 13 colleagues enjoy their work aboard their black and white Suzuki GSX 500s.

"It's interesting and very satisfying. You need a lot of patience and need your wits about you," said Geoff, who had never ridden a motorcycle before he joined the rangers

"One of the major problems are drunken, rowdy youths.

"We approach them and ask them to behave reasonably and calm down.

"We then monitor them and if it continues, they've had their chance and we ask them to leave. Often they come back later and say OK we'll behave and it can improve.

"We don't want to remove people from the parks - the parks are there for the public and the more people that use them the better.

"Problems differ from year to year. We don't know where they will break out. One place can be quiet for a number of years, then trouble will start."

The worse time was during the latter part of the school holidays when the parks were a magnet for youngsters, some of whom travelled long distances to congregate in one park.

There was often a lot of drinking and general rowdyism, added Geoff.

Bosses in City Hall are now looking at the potential of increasing their powers - it could lead to them being given powers of arrest.

"It is something that would be welcomed by some of the rangers but we don't want to be seen as a kind of police force. We don't want to be confrontational.

"At the moment we communicate well with the public. We need to talk to people about what is happening in the parks and about what they would like to see. Its about communication,"

"We are like go-betweens between the public and the local authority. We are often the public's first point of contact and we need to get information from them about what they would like to see happening."

Rangers work a seven day week on two shifts, 9am-5pm and 2pm-10pm, and the district is split into four areas - Keighley, including Haworth and Oxenhope, Bradford East and West and Bingley, which includes Shipley and Ilkley.

The day starts with a briefing in the morning before the shift sets out on their particular areas. Later ringers return for another briefing towards the end of the afternoon to pass on information to the evening teams.

Every week 129 play areas are inspected, 33 sites which need particular attention are visited every day.

Some need visiting only once a week, but others which are well used or the targets of vandalism and damage, are seen every day. They inspect the buildings and equipment.

Any problems are immediately notified so they can be rectified.

All the rangers are qualified in First Aid and attend Neighbourhood Forum meetings to learn about the public's concerns.

Not all recruits are motorcycle enthusiasts or even have bike licences.

People who join are put through their CBT initial training and then go in to take the bike test. One of the latest recruits is a woman who is being taught to ride.

A good downpour stops the louts

To the uninitiated, the job of a motorcycle park ranger - especially in summer - will seem almost idyllic.

Gently touring round the district parks and recreation areas, inspecting the playgrounds, keeping an eye on the cemeteries and woodlands and all the time enjoying the hassle-free fresh air.

In reality it couldn't be different.

Rangers can be the target of stone and bottle throwers, people with air rifles and catapults and even maniacs who stretch taut wire across an area where they expect a biker to appear.

Luckily, in the 13 years that Geoff Dudman has been in charge of the service from the base in Bailey Hills, Bingley, only one rider has been seriously injured, when he was attacked by a gang of youths.

If they are not dodging the occasional missile - and broken glass under their tyres - park rangers are helping the police swoop on off-road bike tearaways, targeting pet lovers who allow their animals to foul the parks and acting as guards for maintenance workers.

Only recently, park rangers were called to The Greenway at Undercliffe to watch over maintenance workers who had been stoned by youths.

They scrutinise the parks for problems relating to drug use and each ranger is supplied with facilities to remove syringes.

But their powers are relatively limited. Under bylaws they can eject people from the park and the Environmental Protection Act allows them to issue £25 fixed penalty fines to dog foulers.

In the last two years they have issued 315 and eight cases have gone as far as the magistrates court, one case resulting in a £300 fine and costs.

They act as truancy spotters during term time informing schools of pupils who should be in the classroom and not in the park and also liaise with Education Social Workers.

But despite the negative side, Geoff, a former merchant navy navigator from Steeton, and his 13 colleagues enjoy their work aboard their black and white Suzuki GSX 500s.

"It's interesting and very satisfying. You need a lot of patience and need your wits about you," said Geoff, who had never ridden a motorcycle before he joined the rangers

"One of the major problems are drunken, rowdy youths.

"We approach them and ask them to behave reasonably and calm down.

"We then monitor them and if it continues, they've had their chance and we ask them to leave. Often they come back later and say OK we'll behave and it can improve.

"We don't want to remove people from the parks - the parks are there for the public and the more people that use them the better.

"Problems differ from year to year. We don't know where they will break out. One place can be quiet for a number of years, then trouble will start."

The worse time was during the latter part of the school holidays when the parks were a magnet for youngsters, some of whom travelled long distances to congregate in one park.

There was often a lot of drinking and general rowdyism, added Geoff.

Bosses in City Hall are now looking at the potential of increasing their powers - it could lead to them being given powers of arrest.

"It is something that would be welcomed by some of the rangers but we don't want to be seen as a kind of police force. We don't want to be confrontational.

"At the moment we communicate well with the public. We need to talk to people about what is happening in the parks and about what they would like to see. Its about communication,"

"We are like go-betweens between the public and the local authority. We are often the public's first point of contact and we need to get information from them about what they would like to see happening."

Rangers work a seven day week on two shifts, 9am-5pm and 2pm-10pm, and the district is split into four areas - Keighley, including Haworth and Oxenhope, Bradford East and West and Bingley, which includes Shipley and Ilkley.

The day starts with a briefing in the morning before the shift sets out on their particular areas. Later ringers return for another briefing towards the end of the afternoon to pass on information to the evening teams.

Every week 129 play areas are inspected, 33 sites which need particular attention are visited every day.

Some need visiting only once a week, but others which are well used or the targets of vandalism and damage, are seen every day. They inspect the buildings and equipment.

Any problems are immediately notified so they can be rectified.

All the rangers are qualified in First Aid and attend Neighbourhood Forum meetings to learn about the public's concerns.

Not all recruits are motorcycle enthusiasts or even have bike licences.

People who join are put through their CBT initial training and then go in to take the bike test. One of the latest recruits is a woman who is being taught to ride.