Hampshire traffic police pilot new eco scooters

Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit is introducing eco-friendly, battery-powered scooters in the first trial of its kind across the country.

Hampshire’s police vehicles clock up more than 15 million miles a year and it hopes the zero-emission electric bikes will help reduce its carbon footprint.

The new Vectrix Maxi-Scooters, are an environmentally friendly, silent, and cost-effective solution to the problems of urban transport, and are also a valid alternative to traditional petrol-fuelled motorbikes.

They cost just 20p to charge up, have a top speed of 62mph, a range of approximately 68 miles and are extremely cheap to maintain.

The vehicles are on a six-month trial, during which the scooter`s benefits to community policing will also be evaluated.

The scooters are aimed at reducing harmful carbon emissions and as a result, are perfectly suited to conducting high visibility patrols in the towns and cities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The force will initially be trialling two Maxi-Scooters in and around Portsmouth city centre, with a view to evaluating them in other parts of the county in the New Year.

The bikes will primarily have a patrol function and will be ridden by officers from the Roads Policing Unit’s motorcycle section.

Inspector Roger Price, head of the force’s motorcycle unit said: “The Vectrix is an eco-friendly crime fighting tool, enabling us to provide additional reassurance and a visible policing presence within our communities. We are keen to see how it performs and best meets the demands of modern-day police work.”

Hampshire Constabulary fleet manager, John Bradley, MBE, said: “Large fleet operators, such as Hampshire Constabulary, have a responsibility to reduce harmful emissions and help the environment.

“We have been looking at this machine for over 20 months and are very excited to be the first police force in the UK to enter a six-month trial.

“We are keen to evaluate the benefits of operating an electrically powered scooter, and hope that if the trial proves successful that it could be adopted for use in forces across the UK.

“Our continued commitment to helping the environment is reflected in a number of transport environmental awards that we have won over several years.”

In 1994 Hampshire was the first police force in the world to trial the Ford Ecostar electric vehicle.

Later that year, the constabulary became the first police force in the UK to sign up to the Government’s Powershift programme, and following that, liquid petroleum gas vehicles and a range of hybrids were introduced to the fleet.

Managing director of Vectrix UK, Alex Bamberg, said: “It is vital that such publicly visible organisations such as the UK’s police forces are seen to explore new technologies that could benefit the environment and reduce the damage we inflict on it.”