Port of Tilbury-Police Constable

[Fedster + 1,307]

Bikes allow officers to up the mileage covered on each shift and help with off-road investigations.

Date - 9th December 2019
By - Chloe Livadeas

Northumbria officers are trying out state-of-the-art electric bikes as part of a 30 day trial.

The bikes, supplied by the local business Ride Electric, will help neighbourhood officers to significantly increase the mileage they are able to cover on a shift and allows them to cover terrain that vehicles do not have access to.

Last week the officers had their first day out with the new bikes and covered 25 miles in just over three hours, dealing with incidents across Wallsend, Holywell and Killingworth.

This included a case where a vulnerable person was reported missing and officers were able to search footpaths and waggonways to gather intelligence.

Northumbria said use of the bikes were benefitting the mental and physical health of the officers who used them, as well as reducing the force’s carbon footprint and aiding with off-road investigations.

Inspector Mark Storey have welcomed the new bikes and stressed they will be used by neighbourhood officers who would normally patrol on foot and are not responsible for responding to emergency calls.

He said “It’s been fantastic having the e-bikes to use on patrol, the distance that we are able to cover is almost three times more than what we would be able to do cover on a normal bike. 

“Not only are the bikes great from a practical point of view, they are great for the physical and mental health of our officers and really helps their wellbeing. It also reduces our carbon foot print which is great."

He added: “The team loved using the bikes and have already started off some fun competitions during the trial. These include most miles covered, best job attended and muddiest officer!”

View On Police Oracle

[Beaker 817]

Gimme, provided we can find out who actually signs us off for riding bikes.  It's actually easier for us to get a van conversion than a cycling certificate!