NEIGHBOURHOOD police in Newton Abbot could soon be zipping about on e-Bikes after a successful pilot project.

Devon and Cornwall Police are now rolling the scheme out to other areas with the aim of boosting neighbourhood engagement. 

The pilot was initially launched in Cornwall and supported by Cornwall Council and the Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour officers. 

There are now 39 e-Bikes in use .

Superintendent Ian Thompson said: ‘The electric bikes initiative is boosting the ability of our neighbourhood teams to engage with and be visible in their communities, whilst allowing them to be in places that do not always have a police presence. 

‘In turn, this is taking the pressure off our vehicle fleet and allowing us to be less reliant on cars and reduce our carbon footprint.

‘The feedback from officers is extremely positive, who realise the benefits of faster, quieter patrols and the wellbeing benefits of being active and outside. 

‘We are expanding the fleet of electric bikes to other areas of the force and hope soon that all Neighbourhood Teams in Devon and Cornwall will have access to them for use within their normal duties. 

‘Currently, there are 89 neighbourhood officers and PCSO’s who have been trained so far, with opportunities to train more officers in the coming months.’

In just a day, one officer covered 71km using an e-Bike and received positive feedback from the community. 

Work is underway to purchase additional e-Bikes and deploy them to more sites.