Cops AMP up city crime fight

WE JOIN BATTERY-POWERED POLICE ON E-BIKE PATROL

- NAOMI DESOUZA News Reporter

CITY centre police in Birmingham are replacing pedal power with e-bikes in a bid to fight crime.

Officers have ditched push bikes for electrically-assisted pedal cycles, or e-bikes, to traverse the city's canals, alleys and shopping centres as part of a new crackdown.

West Midlands Police has secured six e-bikes at a cost of £1,800 per bike following a trial in July, with Birmingham city centre inspector Dan Thomas confirming that all neighbourhood forces would eventually phase out push bikes for e-bikes.

The Birmingham Mail joined three officers from the city centre team recently to see the bikes in action and watch how e-bike rules are enforced. Towards the end of our shift we saw how one man's day changed in a matter of minutes.

Many might associate e-bikes with battery fires, phone snatching and illegal modifications but when used safely and effectively, they are an important tool, say police.

"Digbeth is quite low, if they are going out to locations it is uphill... we can get to places quicker," Insp Thomas told us from inside Digbeth police station, ahead of our patrol.

"We don't always need to be in a police car."