[Closed] UK - booby trapped trails - reporting to police?

I'm confused about your community police bit. Surely you report it to 101 and it is then up to the police how they deal with it and whether it is followed up as crime or not?

I am confused too, hence the post.

Previously I would have popped down the police station and had a chat but that is long gone. 101 not an option when there as had no reception and not sure if best to do an online report - which gives me umpteen options and is generally confusing.

How do you know this is booby trapped. It could be another set of bikers with a different outlook to yours setting things up to suit themselves.
Are these legal trails? Has the landowner given permission for the trails to be there?

You are opening up a can of worms that plod will not be interested in until someone gets seriously hurt. Wires strung between trees might get them interested. Might. Might not.

Just phone 101 now, it doesn't have to be at the time

Someone or a group of people had put logs, branches and stuck upright twigs in on every single trail I followed

How do you know this is booby trapped

Your description sounds a lot like blocked not booby trapped unless you're sure there is intent to injure, which is to say, unless they're legal rights of way (or to some extent recognised/adopted trails) the land owner is probably well within their rights.

too steep and rough for walkers and well away from the hardback walking paths.

Oh this is nonsense, walkers will walk up and down a lot of things, including just about anything you'd point a bike at on a "trail" (road gaps and 20m verticals excepted) and they've no more (depending on where you are, probably a lot less) obligation to stay on the dull boring hardpack than you do.

Glad to know I am talking nonsense.

My point is your "bike trails" almost undoubtedly are nothing of the sort. If you've never found a pedestrian in just about the last place you'd expect them you're doing well.

I did say twigs were stuck in the ground and where jumps land (plus logs and 40 foot branches). That suggests intent and not sure about others on here but nobody I ride with likes riding through piles of twigs and leaves.

Of course people walk in the woods and everywhere. I just can't see someone walking down the jumps and drops often, and have never seen anyone there, yet see lots of riders. But what does it matter?

Go onto your local police web site and report it under the anti social behavior section. If they contact you give them a description of what you saw, and maybe go back and take some photos prior to clearing the obstructions.

Even if people are not supposed to be riding there, it's not on blocking trails in a way that might cause harm.

The other thing to think about though is that if you are not supposed to ride there the 'trails' may get permanently closed.....

Reported via online police portal, thanks to those who actually posted a helpful response.

It wasn't meant as unhelpful, rather that there's another point of view.

Just ignore the comments on here, you were there so if think it was dangerous enough to injure someone report it. As already said though if they are illegal trails you could end up drawing attention to them.

It could be another set of bikers with a different outlook to yours setting things up to suit themselves

What sort of weirdos do you ride with? I don't know any riders that purposely put branches on trails or sticks in the ground where people land jumps!

Dear Mr Plod, there are some sticks and branches on the ground in the woods where I ride, even though I'm not supposed to be there.

Yes I know I am trespassing, but I am a millennial and I have rights.

I WANT JUSTICE.

Just ignore the comments on here, you were there so if think it was dangerous enough to injure someone report it. As already said though if they are illegal trails you could end up drawing attention to them.

That.

Is it private land?

OP asks for help on to report possible stickman with intent to harm.
Get lectured for not being gnaar enough or underestimating walker's abilities.
Sheesh!

Dear Mr Plod, there are some sticks and branches on the ground in the woods where I ride

A potential crime, which police deal with.

Yes I know I am trespassing

A civil matter, which they don't.

(and this is assuming they are illegal trails.)

But things are rarely as black and white as that ^^^.

I have a strong suspicion that a lot of miserable NIMBYs put sticks and logs across tracks in the hope that it gets reported to the police or at least draws attention to (what they see as) the ‘problem’ of mountain biking. The fact that their real objection is to the ‘problem’ of other people having fun is moot. They are the types that complain ‘we played outside as children because there was none of this games console nonsense’, then put up no ball games signs everywhere and call the police if a child even carries a football within 500 yards of their car.

I think they hope that the landowner will then decide they don’t want the hassle and fence stuff off. Job done as far as they are concerned. Don’t underestimate the meanness of spirit that is out there.

It's a country park with rights of way which vary according to markings and surface. If it's a hardpack path, unless otherwise signed, it is walkers only. These trials are probably informal but have been there umpteen years, they link one cycle approved area to another with no signage saying no bikes between.

I've reported it on the basis I don't want anyone getting hurt and I can't think of anyone else to tell. Doubt the police can do anything but if enough reports get generated they might investigate.

Genuinely didn't know what to report as hence the thread but wish I hadn't bothered.

Report it.

Seen wires strung across shared use paths, so needs doing. Not much the cops can do, but of happening often, a little bit of covert monitoring can catch the idiots.

OP just phone 101 as a non emergency report in UK - you will need a good hour on 'waiting' or log on line as you did.

Photo 'risks' then destroy the work done.

Have to criticise your language a bit I'm afraid. Either don't mention the twigs thing (twigs don't exactly evoke danger) or play it up a bit, by using the word sticks. Even then I'm still doubtful it's enough so recommend use of an adjective like sharp or pointy (but definitely not both).

Rough crowd tonight!
We’ve had plenty of threads where people have suspected deliberate sabotage of trails. They haven’t been given a kicking like the OP for some reason.
If a rider was to be hurt after crashing into one of these deliberate obstructions then I’m sure it would be helpful for things to have been logged with the police in the past.
I’m not convinced the legality of the riding comes into it. It’s not ok to set traps for humans, cycling or not, on your private property surely?

Aye, things clearly arent going well for sarasak at the moment.

As a landowner you can't deliberately booby trap trails whether they're illegal or not, anybody who suggests you can is very poorly informed. Their insurers would have a ****ing coronary I'm afraid.

Its quite possibly not classed as a stick on the trail if its stuck in the ground with the pointy end that could impale someone. Have a look Wiki punji sticks.
"Punji sticks are banned from use as weaponry under the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons."
Done the right thing reporting it.
Is srawak a known troll or just having a bad day?

if it is in a country park (as mentioned above) then report it to the landowner/ country park manager. they'll not want people getting injured there and its probably already known that the guerrilla cycle routes are there. If its the FC they'll have systems for dealing with it.

Culprit?

This across a heavily used cycle track next to the A23 at Brighton last night. This isn't a cheeky trail, it's on a National cycle Network route. Saddens me really./

I ran through the woods last night and chuckled at the effort someone had gone to dragging branches across the trail. It made for no more than an amusing steeplechase and doubt it would be much more bother to anyone with fairly average bike skills. They've probably done their own blood pressure more harm to be fair. That thing above is just plain nasty.