Police get patrol bikes in Doncaster
SYP says response times are a lot quicker on two wheels than two feet
A new fleet of bikes are being used by neighbourhood officers in the centre of Doncaster to respond even quicker to real-time incidents and arrest violent criminals.
This month, officers for Doncaster Central Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) have started using electric and regular push bikes on patrols and during their shifts, and the bikes have already proved successful in fighting crime.
On Saturday (24 May), a call was received regarding a man who was making violent and racist threats towards a couple on North Bridge Road.
The man continued to follow and harass the pair before attacking them near Frenchgate Shopping Centre.
At the same time, officers were able to track the couple's movements following directions from one of our call handlers and reach them quicker on bikes.
It meant that just 11 minutes after the initial call, the man was detained and arrested on suspicion of a number of offences, including two counts of common assault, criminal damage, harassment and a racially aggravated public order offence.
Doncaster Central NPT Sergeant Steve Roberts said:
"Having the bikes at our disposal really strengthens our commitment to keeping you safe in the centre of Doncaster.
"It has allowed us to really speed up our response times as we are a lot quicker at responding on two wheels compared to two feet, and it allows us to cover a much wider area of the city in a significantly quicker time.
"The bikes, which have been funded by City of Doncaster Council, also allow us to be more visible in the city centre and surrounding areas, which is one of our key goals as part of the Safer City campaign.
"Over the past two weeks, our patrolling officers have covered 281 miles within the Central NPT area over the course of 200 hours, which really emphasises the time and distance we are covering as part of our goal to further increase our visibility in the area.
"The bikes can also beat traffic in congested areas, particularly during rush hour, and ultimately pursue suspects a lot easier which will ensure justice is delivered and more criminals are caught."