The long legs of the law

Ten officers have been equipped with high-tech mountain bikes and a patrol van to enable them to respond quickly to incidents across the district.

The Adur police mountain bike patrol is based on a system pioneered in the United States and is part of chief constable Ken Jones's strategy of making officers in Sussex more visible to the public.

PC Chris Wright, one of the patrol's new officers, said: "It allows pro-active policing, as well as establishing good links with the community."

District Commander for Adur, chief inspector Martin Walker, told the Herald: "Cops on bikes is great news for the people of Adur, but bad news for the criminals.

"Having officers riding on bikes makes us more visible, and more easy to talk to. For the criminals, however, there is no hiding place as the bikes are silent, fast and effective."