Police get BMX bikes to impress hoodies
A POLICE force was ridiculed yesterday for patrolling on BMX bikes in an attempt to bond with hoodies.
Leicestershire Constabulary claims the bike, which has its own force logo, helps build a rapport with young people.
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But Roshni Mapara, 21, from Oadby, Leicester, said: “Doing wheelies in a skate park to impress kids is hardly helping to fight crime.”
Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, called the move farcical, adding: “Putting an adult police officer on a child’s bike is unlikely to buy them any more credibility.”
But Police Community Support Officer Vince Preston said: “It really does break down barriers with youths in the skate park.”
He added: “This area has lots of alleys, so often I can get to an incident as quickly as colleagues in a car.”