(Image: South Wales Police)
Last Updated: 3 minutes ago
A police operation targeting off-road bikes in the Cynon Valley has taken 24 machines off the streets and led to court appearances, arrests and thousands of pounds in cash being seized.
The results
Operation Physalis, run by the Cynon Neighbourhood Policing Team with support from Cynon South, has so far produced:
- 24 off-road bikes seized
- 15 road traffic files submitted
- 10 court appearances
- 8 referrals to the Youth Offending Service
- 6 Section 59 warnings
- 3 arrests
Officers clocked up more than 7,000 hours of high-visibility patrols across the area.
Wider criminality
Plain clothes officers working on intelligence uncovered offending well beyond the operation’s original focus. Three people were arrested and charged with aggravated burglary and firearms offences, and another three were arrested for possession with intent to supply controlled drugs.
Some £18,000 was seized under Proceeds of Crime legislation, and the deployments also created safeguarding opportunities around violence against women and girls and the night-time economy.
Why it was launched
South Wales Police set up the operation in April 2026 after a sharp rise in off-road bike incidents, anti-social behaviour and linked criminality across the Cynon Valley, with Aberdare town centre and Cynon North the worst affected. The aim was to disrupt the offending, cut anti-social behaviour and make the area safer for residents.
Anyone who sees off-road bikes being ridden illegally or anti-socially is asked to report it to South Wales Police.
