 request. MORE : Police ask people to stop calling them over rows about Halloween pumpkins MORE : Police officer caught stealing £10 note from abandoned vehicle The fleet was paid for by the Home Office from their Safer Streets programme, a fund aimed at tackling specific safety and crime prevention issues. Officers and some Newport City Council employees will be able to drive the tuk-tuks in the day and night. Their speed has been limited to 55 kilometres per hour, or just under 35 miles per hour. Chief Inspector Damian Sowrey said members of the public have had the opportunity to see the tuk-tuks and the feedback has been 'overwhelmingly positive'. '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,' Mr Sowrey said. '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.' Mahindra Electric, which provided the 'e-autos', announced their involvement in the initiative on Twitter, writing: 'Autos have been used as public transportation but Gwent police has different plans for them. 'We'r){kind=link}
A police force in Wales has spent nearly £40,000 on tuk-tuks to help officers fight crime.
Gwent Police in Wales revealed this month that it was rolling out the three-wheeled vehicles to patrol parks and other public spaces in Newport and Abergavenny in south-east Wales.
The rickshaw-style cars, known for their use as taxis primarily in Asian countries, will be deployed as ‘safe spaces’ where people can report incidents and seek help if they are feeling unsafe.
They are also a popular way for tourists to travel around London, but have in the past been blasted as ‘unsafe.’
The tuk-tuks were bought for £9,936 each, or a total of £39,744, according to a BBC Wales Freedom of Information (FOI) request.