Officers in Rochdale have been equipped with seven electric bikes as part of a push to improve response times and increase visibility in areas where patrol cars cannot easily reach.
The bikes have been added to the fleet by Greater Manchester Police in Rochdale and will be used to navigate tight alleyways, footpaths and other restricted routes across the borough.
Police say the move will allow officers to respond more quickly in neighbourhoods where criminals attempt to evade capture by using narrow streets or off road cut throughs.
Funding for the seven bikes has come from local partners including RBH, a local windfarm and Rochdale Borough Council, in what has been described as partnership support for frontline policing.
The rollout follows similar schemes in other parts of the country where electric bikes have been used to counter offenders exploiting smaller routes and pedestrian areas. In London, officers have reported that the bikes have helped them keep pace with suspects using similar vehicles to commit offences such as mobile phone theft, while also acting as a visible deterrent.
Rochdale MP Paul Waugh joined Chief Superintendent Danny Inglis and local officers to see the bikes in operation.
Mr Waugh said: "I was pleased to join Chief Superintendent Danny Inglis and his team of Rochdale officers as they unveiled their new e-bikes, which are designed to help catch muggers and other criminals more quickly in narrow streets and alleyways.
When deployed in other parts of the country, police bikes have proved effective as an important and visible deterrent. I hope they will have a similar crime-cutting effect here in our borough."
Chief Superintendent Danny Inglis said the bikes would enhance neighbourhood policing by enabling officers to patrol parks, estates and busy town centres more effectively while maintaining a visible presence in communities.
The bikes will be deployed across the borough, including Heywood and Middleton, supporting targeted operations and routine patrols. They will also be used during large events and in high footfall areas, helping officers respond quickly while reducing reliance on traditional vehicles for short distance patrol work.
Police say the initiative forms part of wider efforts in Rochdale to use new tactics and technology to tackle crime and reassure residents as offending patterns evolve.
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