Police force reveals new vehicles it will use to fight crime – but nobody can take them seriously

A POLICE force in Wales has revealed its new vehicles to the public, but nobody can take them seriously.

Gwent Police has bought four Rickshaws, or tuk-tuks, to patrol the streets and fight crime.

The bright blue and yellow rickshaws are to patrol the streets in Newport and Abergavenny.

Rickshaws have tiny but noisy 600cc two-stroke engines and a top speed of around 30mph.

Gwent police say the tuk-tuks will be driven by officers or police “ambassadors” and used as “safe spaces” for potential victims of crime.

However, the force hasn’t revealed how much the three-wheelers have cost taxpayers. 

As reported by Wales Online, Chief Inspector Damian Sowrey said the vehicles had been on show at a recent Behind the Badge day.

He said: “The feedback was overwhelmingly positive with parents telling officers that they would feel safer knowing that there was support for young people out at night, and from women who could think of an occasion when the tuk-tuk would have been a welcome sight.”

But the vehicles have also drawn quite a bit of criticism from locals.

Commenting online, Ashley Keeble said: “Good luck chasing some young scallywag churning up the cricket pitch in it.”

Hollie Charlotte said: “Look forward to that being upside down in ditch along with half of Asda’s trolleys on a Sunday morning.”

Neil ‘Twiz’ Harrington commented: “You know one of them is definitely going to be rolled over in a police chase.”

Graham Shimell said: “If they are brave enough to drive one of these around certain parts of Newport, it’ll be burnt out and thrown in the Usk within the first week.”