POLICE will now be able to patrol rural areas and hard-to-reach spots on quad bikes.

Policing teams in Royston have two new quad bikes which have been equipped with police livery and blue lights, as well as safety equipment including a high powered spotlight, first aid kit, maps and tow ropes.

They will be used to regularly patrol parts of Royston - including Royston Heath, the town centre and industrial areas - as well as hard-to-reach spots like woodland and countryside.

Eight officers have been trained to ride the quad bikes, which will be used to help find missing people and for tackling rural crimes such as hare coursing and theft of farming equipment.

North Herts Safer Neighbourhoods Inspector, Danny Lawrence, said: “These vehicles will be out and about on a regular basis, patrolling those areas that other vehicles don’t have easy access to and offering reassurance to communities.

“It’s great news for North Herts to be gaining these two additional vehicles, which we believe will prove invaluable in our day-to-day business.”

Quad bikes have already been used in other parts of the county, such as Buntingford and at major music concerts in Knebworth.

* If you live and work in rural areas of North Herts, you may also be interested in being part of the Rural Intelligence Gathering System (RIGS).

Volunteers are issued with pagers so they can be in touch with each other and with their local policing teams to report any incidents, including suspicious vehicles or people around their land. Members include farmers, landowners, and residents in more isolated locations.

If you would like to know more about RIGS, call Sergeant Jon Vine on 01438 757926 or email jon.vine@herts.pnn.police.uk