South Yorkshire Police Federation says forces need "total rethink" of dangers on the road in light of deadly TikTok trend
“Cars in the wrong hands can be the most dangerous of weapons”
A leading police figure in South Yorkshire has said that forces around the country need a “total rethink” of how they deal with dangers on the road after a social media trend allegedly resulted in the death of seven people.
Steve Kent, chair of the South Yorkshire branch of the Police Federation - which represents rank-and-file officers - raised his concerns as the country reels from the deaths of PCs Matthew Blades and Tom Clough in Middlesbrough on Saturday, August 22.
The pair died in a head-on collision with a Volkswagen Passat on the A66.
Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jakub Matusiak also died in the crash.
It has prompted widespread criticism of a TikTok trend which allegedly sees drivers travel at speeds down the wrong side of busy carriageways.
“This utterly despicable kind of behaviour is sadly what is on the rise again,” Steve said.
“Cars in the wrong hands can be the most dangerous of weapons. I know from conversations with members of the public that dangerous use of cars, off-road motorcycles and e-bikes are right up there with the biggest of their concerns.
“Dangerous driving isn't a new thing, however the horrific events in Cleveland have just brought it to the public’s attention.
“There has to be a total rethink about policing resources to deal with the dangers on the road and also further changes in legislation that puts the responsibility on the people choosing to be reckless and not those putting their lives on the line to tackle it.”
He said that as enquiries are ongoing into the incident in Cleveland, he can’t comment on the specifics, but said that the thoughts of everyone at the federation “remain with the family, friends and colleagues of our PC Blades and PC Clough.”
He added: “The public and our officers are tired of people associated with this behaviour avoiding responsibility and trying to blame everybody else for their appalling actions and decisions.
“How can it be that officers are at risk of lengthy investigations tackling some of this feral behaviour that has the overwhelming support of the decent members of society who are fed up off seeing the lawlessness on the roads and the police being unable to tackle it due to the bizarre excess scrutiny which is aimed more at the police than the offenders.
“This scrutiny is actually subtly aiding and empowering their behaviour.”