Local police in Rochdale, UK are cracking down on the illegal use of off-road bikes and vehicles in rural areas that has resulted in 17 machines being seized. The more interesting bit is that the cops themselves seem to have used dirtbikes to chase down the so-called offenders.

The Rockdale Observer reports that a combination of motorbikes, quad bikes and 4x4s were confiscated under Operation Dragster, which ran over the three weekends of the Easter period.

The crackdown was launched following complaints by walkers and horse riders about “damage to land and the distress caused to wildlife.”

Apparently the local communities have been “plagued” by the illegal use of off-road bikes, with their “great amount of annoyance, mainly because of the noise, and are often extremely dangerous for both the rider and pedestrians.”

The officers involved in the operation, as pictured in the photo, seem to be off-road enthusiasts themselves.