Knowsley Police launch new E-bike patrols to help tackle crime and antisocial behaviour

Merseyside Police have today, Wednesday 21 May, announced the launch of a new e-bike patrol team, designed to enhance community safety, deter crime, and provide swift responses to incidents of antisocial behaviour and robbery.

The new initiative, introduced ahead of the busy summer months, will see specially trained officers patrolling areas around Huyton and Stockbridge Village. The team will operate across parks, residential areas and the town centre.

David Hassett, Temporary Local Policing Inspector for Huyton, who is overseeing the launch, emphasised the importance of adapting policing strategies which are in-line with emerging crime trends and public concerns:

"Looking at the local and national picture, it’s obvious that e-bikes are now at the centre of an awful lot of crime, in the same way scrambler bikes were ten years ago. Our residents have voiced real concerns about it.

“Stolen e-bikes can be illegally modified and turned into a criminal’s choice tool for drug dealing and robbery, so having this specific e-bike capability is really essential for us as a Local Policing team.

“With trained officers out there on e-bikes we’ll have improved response times in pedestrian areas and in spots with traffic congestion where vehicle patrols would lag.

“There’s a deterrence angle to this, too. With a stronger uniformed presence in known trouble spots, we’ll be putting nominals off from even trying to carry out illegal activity there in the first place.

“We can pursue criminals on and off the roads as well. With this patrol, there’s nowhere they can run that we can’t immediately follow.

“I would really urge anyone who has bought an e-bike to get a tracker for it.   We’re much more likely to be able to get it back for you if it’s stolen if it has a tracker, and it gives us a much better chance of being able to catch the perpetrator – preventing more crime down the line.

“Also, we run regular bike marking events in every area. It’s free. If you come and get your bike marked, it’s much less likely to be stolen.”

The e-bike patrol team forms part of a wider summer safety campaign due to be launched force-wide, and additional e-bike patrols are due to be put in place across the rest of Knowsley in the near future.

Merseyside Police are encouraging anyone wishing to have their bike marked to visit their Local Policing Facebook page for up-to-date information on when bike marking events are being held.