Police in western P.E.I. frustrated with ATV scofflaws
'It’s very frustrating because they’re breaking the law right in front of you,' says RCMP officer
Police in western P.E.I. are frustrated about their efforts to stop ATV riders from breaking the law.
Last week, more than 30 refused to pull over for RCMP in Tignish, said acting Staff Sgt. Darrell Gill.
Some of them will even kind of taunt us, trying to get us to chase them.- Prince County RCMP acting Staff Sgt. Darrell Gill
"Some of them will even kind of taunt us, trying to get us to chase them," he told CBC's Island Morning.
"It's very frustrating because they're breaking the law right in front of you."
Gill said the ATV riders know police won't chase them because of the "liability issue."
"It's tough because because you'd like to be able to do something, but the risk of hurting somebody is too great," he said.
People in the Tignish area have been complaining for years about ATVers riding on the main roads, not wearing helmets and damaging the Confederation Trail.
'Not getting any better'
"It's not getting any better," Gill said.
"It's a lot of disrespect to the community and the people who have to live in those communities. They don't want to hear an ATV driving up and down Main Street. It's dangerous."
Police did give out some tickets, warnings, and seized a couple of ATVs last week, but Gill said the youth need to be educated about ATV laws and the community needs to "start talking" to get the problem to stop.
"Without information, it's hard for us to act," he said. "We'll certainly act once we have the information. People have to step up."
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With files from Island Morning