PEDAL power has proved an effective weapon in the fight against crime for a squad of biking bobbies.

The two-wheeled lawmen in York have attended more than 100 incidents, made 28 arrests and covered 1,500 miles in the first month of a trial scheme.

Sergeant Nigel Tottie, who heads the team, said the element of surprise had been a big factor in catching the criminals.

"Because we are out there on the streets we have seen or heard things we might not normally have picked up had we been in an ordinary police vehicle," he said.

"One of the advantages of being on bicycles is that, in about a third of the arrests we have made, the people involved have not heard us coming and didn't know we were there until we were right on top of them. On quite a few occasions we are beating other police vehicles to incidents."

Alongside the practical results, the biking bobbies say positive feedback from the public shows that their presence is helping to make people feel safer.

Sgt Tottie said: "Wherever we go, people have been very supportive and interested in what we are doing."