Hundreds of bikes remain in GMP’s possession, having been seized from criminals, or recovered as lost or stolen and have been unclaimed over a period of time across the force.
Subsequently, as part of a Bury Neighbourhood Policing Team project, officers have donated 40 bikes to the Nationwide Cycling Academy (NCA), who will be utilising them to teach young people repair skills and provide them with new opportunities.
The handover took place last month in Philips Park, Whitefield, where members of Bury’s Neighbourhood Policing Team and members of the NCA met.
All bikes were properly audited to ensure they were appropriate for donation, with the hundreds in GMP’s possession thoroughly checked and appraised. This saw members of GMP’s Property Office undertake the necessary processing and assessing tasks.
In addition to repair skills, the bikes will be used on mountain bike rails across the Bury area, giving young people the opportunity to take part in healthy and fun exercises.
By offering young people the opportunity to take part in such activities, the ultimate goal is to provide alternatives to possible anti-social behaviour.
This element of neighbourhood engagement comes alongside our regular proactive work – from high-visibility patrols to arrests and direct action.
Chief Inspector Andy Wright, from GMP’s Bury Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This scheme is an example of community-based engagement and activities being used as a deterrent to anti-social behaviour.
“By providing young people with these opportunities – safe bike rides, and trying new skills – we can engage with them and provide awareness on the risks of criminality.
“The bikes have been collected over a number of years from various sources, from long since forgotten unclaimed bikes to criminally seized ones, and I am glad we are now utilising them for a positive programme as opposed to gathering dust.
“Our engagement work is a vital strand of neighbourhood policing and alongside our regular proactive action, we hope to provide further programmes and schemes in the future.”
The Neighbourhood Policing Week of action will take place from 15 to 21 June. Neighbourhood policing is more than a role – it is a specialism that requires knowledge, skill and strong leadership.
Officers and PCSOs working in neighbourhood teams are often the first point of contact for local people, building trust, preventing crime and dealing with the issues that matter most to the communities they serve, including anti-social behaviour.
We have around 1,400 neighbourhood officers working across 38 teams – they are based in all 10 of our districts.
There are opportunities to join our teams over the next couple of weeks – please email us to register interest.