Operation Apex: multi-pronged approach to improving biker safety

27 May 2026

An innovative road safety campaign is helping Dyfed Powys Police work with colleagues across England and Wales to improve motorcyclist safety in the Force area.

Inspector Dawn Fencott-Price, of Specialist Operations, has spoken of how the Force is taking a multi-pronged approach to reducing the number of bikers who are killed and seriously injured on the county’s roads.

Operation Apex combines enforcement, engagement, and education, as well as cross-border collaboration with other forces, to improve motorcycle safety.

Dawn, a Dyfed Police Federation member, said: “Motorcyclists come here because they enjoy riding on our roads but we want them to be safe.

Safely

“We want people to enjoy what Dyfed Powys has to offer, but our priority is making sure they do so safely.”

Last summer, the team introduced a new tactic to try to understand where people were travelling from to visit the county.

Officers had believed that the majority of bikers were visiting from the north of England and riding down through North Wales.

But by collecting the first part of riders’ postcodes at a series of engagement events, they discovered many were travelling significant distances from the Midlands, the West Country, and London.

That intelligence has allowed Dyfed Powys Police to share their messaging with other forces to reinforce safety advice before riders even begin their journeys.

Key messaging revolves around making sure motorbikes are road legal, avoid risky overtaking, and recognise the dangers of tiredness.

Group riding behaviour can be contributing factors in serious collisions, Dawn said.

She said: “For instance, if you're riding in a group, don't try and keep up with riders.

“If you lose each other pull over and make contact. We call it the bungee cord effect, where riders try to overtake vehicles to keep up with the first one and then that's when it can go wrong.”

Further Operation Apex activity includes high-visibility patrols, roadside engagement, and attendance at biker meeting points and events.

Overtake

Engagement has been well received, Dawn said, with responsible riders welcoming efforts to challenge dangerous behaviour that risks damaging the reputation of the wider biking community.

The operation forms part of a national campaign led through the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

Forces submit data and intelligence to build a national picture of trends affecting motorcyclist safety.

Early indications suggest the strategy is having an impact locally, with collision figures lower than at the same point last year.

And as the warmer weather approaches, Dawn said officers will continue to be out on the roads.

“Our visibility is a great deterrent in itself,” she said. “We want everyone who visits our area to enjoy the ride and to get home safely.”

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