Police sell crime-fighting tuk-tuks after two years at £28,000 loss
They were bought to fight crime on the streets - but after two years were sold for only £6k.
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Police sell crime-fighting tuk-tuks after two years at £28,000 loss 44 minutes ago Share Save Leigh Boobyer BBC Wales Share Save A police force which spent £34,300 buying electric tuk-tuks to help fight crime sold them after just two years - at a £28,350 loss. Gwent Police bought the four three-wheelers using a Home Office fund to patrol parts of Newport and Abergavenny in 2022, and also to be used as safe spaces where crimes could be reported. But in June 2024 they went out of service and later that year were sold for £5,950 in total, a Freedom of Information request has found. A Gwent Police spokesperson said while the sale price was lower than anticipated, the amount of money they tried to recoup was outside the force's control. More on this story Trikey! Police buy tuk-tuks to battle crime Police spent £40k on four crime-fighting tuk-tuks In 2022, Gwent Police said it spent £39,744 in total on the four vehicles, or £9,936 per tuk-tuk in response to a BBC Wales Freedom of Information request. The vehicles were paid for from a £673,181 Home Office Safer Streets fund package aimed at tackling specific safety and crime prevention issues, and to provide a visible presence in public areas. The auto-rickshaws generally have a top speed of about 34mph (55km/h), and are well-known for being used as taxis and as a mode of transport in Asian countries in particular. At the time of their unveiling, the force said officers would use them to patrol parks, walkways and elsewhere . Speaking at the time, Ch Insp Damian Sowrey said parents told officers "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". A Gwent Police spokesperson said: "The intention behind the purchase of these vehicles was to boost public safety especially within the night-time economy settings of Abergavenny and Newport in an engaging and different way for our communities. "While ...
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