What a tuk up! Police force is blasted for splashing nearly £70,000 of public cash on four bright blue and yellow tuk-tuks… that will only be used to patrol parks and public spaces
- A police force bought four tuk-tuks for nearly £70,000 for patrols in Wales
- The three-wheeled vehicles cost a similar amount to a new Ford Fiesta
- The announcement sparked mixed reviews within the local community
A police force which spent almost £70,000 of taxpayers money on four tuk-tuks has been blasted as ‘an absolute embarrassment’ online.
Gwent Police bought four bright blue and yellow Thai-style three-wheelers intended to be driven by officers or police ‘ambassadors’ and used to patrol parks, walkways and public spaces.
The force announced the three-wheeled vehicles but withheld how much the vehicles had cost – and said simply that funding came from the Home Office.
But a freedom of information request has revealed the £67,896 fee, with each tuk-tuk costing as much as a new car such as a Ford Fiesta or Nissan Micra – or several second-hand Reliant Robins.
Though Gwent Police insisted they had received positive feedback, many critics on social media blasted the force.
One car dealer said: ‘Wow! Talk about getting a dodgy deal – never mind a tuk-tuk, they’ve been tucked up!’
A police force has unveiled a fleet of tuk-tuks to help patrol parks, walkways and public spaces
In a report commissioned by the Newport Council in partnership with Gwent Police, the tuk-tuks were described as a ‘novelty’ which will be used to deliver ‘high visibility reassurance patrols to make residents and visitors feel safer walking around the city’.
Though the expensive purchase has been mocked for its cost online, one resident said: ‘£16k for a three-wheeler – even Del Boy and Rodney wouldn’t get away with that for their Robin Reliant.’
One Twitter user said the police are being made to ‘look ridiculous’, while Roland Bullivant tweeted: ‘Where does one even start?’ after discovering the tuk tuks.
Asked about the cost a force spokesperson said: ‘The tuk-tuks were funded via the Home Office’s Safer Streets scheme, where we secured additional funding to help tackle specific issues within our communities.’
But Gwent Police insisted the majority of the feedback they had received for the tuk-tuk rollout had been ‘overwhelmingly positive’.
Twitter users were quick to mock Gwent Police for their decision to purchase the tuk-tuks
The force said: ‘Four tuk-tuk vehicles, rolled out in Newport and Abergavenny as ‘safe spaces’ for those residing or visiting Gwent are now available to provide crime prevention advice, report incidents to and seek help from if you are feeling unsafe.
‘Our tuk-tuks will be used both during the day and night, driven by our officers and ‘ambassadors’ such as those employed by Newport NOW as part of a Newport City Council initiative.
‘The tuk-tuks will be used to patrol parks, walkways and other public spaces across Newport and Abergavenny.
Chief Inspector Damian Sowrey said: ‘They were on show at our Behind the Badge day, giving local residents the opportunity to see them up close and to hear more about how they will be used.
‘The feedback was overwhelmingly positive with parents telling officers that 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.’
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