Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster has agreed to fund extra e-bikes in a package worth almost £40k to help frontline police officers and PCSOs better serve their communities.
As part of her commitment to provide the force with the resources and equipment it needs to deliver a robust response to the public's priorities, Commissioner Angelique Foster is investing in two new e-bikes for every Local Policing Unit (LPU) across the county.
The force already has 22 e-bikes in operation across Derbyshire's LPUs.
The move comes after Commissioner Angelique Foster held discussions with frontline officers and Police and Community Support Officers (PCSOs) throughout the county to understand the merits of the e-bikes the force already has in operation and what improvements are needed to assist them in serving Derbyshire's communities in the future. These discussions not only highlighted the practical value of the e-bikes, but also the need for a greater fleet to support local patrols.
Strong Local Policing is a key priority in the Commissioner's Police and Crime Plan and she continues to invest in new equipment, technology, resources and vehicles to help officers remain visible in their communities and tackle the public's key concerns which includes Neighbourhood Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour.
Announcing the investment, Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster said: "The idea for the additional e-bikes came from the officers' themselves and so I am pleased to fund a resource that makes an important difference to their work.
"E-bikes can cover patrol areas more quickly than officers on foot, traditional bikes or public transport. They also enable officers to follow suspects in areas inaccessible by cars and can cover vast distances, which means officers can respond to a higher number of incidents during one shift. This is particularly important in our rural communities where there is significantly more ground to cover.
"Being able to see or talk to a police officer is very important to our residents. Officers have told me that the existing e-bikes have had a valuable impact on their work and engagement with the public. I have promised to help improve to improve Neighbourhood Policing and I am keen to make sure our police officers have the right equipment to do their job effectively."
The new e-bikes will be allocated to LPUs as soon as possible and have been carefully chosen to provide good battery life and durability to cope with off-road conditions.
The funding allocated by the Commissioner will not only cover the cost of new e-bikes but also includes funding for practical accessories such as pannier bags and also servicing.