Public Servant Lifestyle

Extra pedal power hit the streets of the Northumbria Police district of Blyth after a neighbourhood police officer was presented with a new mountain bike to help him on patrol by a neighbourhood group.

Neighbourhood Beat Manager Terry Brooks, who covers the Newsham area, will use the bike to get around his patch and get to places quicker than he would on foot.

(Pictured, right): PC Terry Brooks with his new bike.

The bike was presented to Terry by ICCQ (Improving Croft and Cowpen Quay), a Neighbourhood Management organisation set up in 2005 to improve the area through partnership working. The handover, by ICCQ and its partners, coincided with the start of an ICCQ "Week of Action" in the Newsham area which involves numerous organisations, including the police, working together to address issues raised by residents.

Inspector Bill Fawcett from the Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "Being able to use the bikes means PC Brooks can spend more time on the streets, reassuring people and carrying out his patrols.

"A cornerstone of neighbourhood policing is being known in the community you work in. A bike is often the quickest and easiest way to get about and young people can sometimes feel more confident about chatting with officers on bikes."

Betty Weallans, ICCQ Neighbourhood Manager, added: "We are pleased to be able to support this initiative as part of our neighbourhood management activity in Blyth and hope it will be as successful as other bikes used elsewhere in the area."

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