The Metropolitan Police has expanded its fleet of Sur-Ron electric bikes from five to 25, saying they will help officers pursue suspects involved in knife crime, phone theft and robbery. The force says the bikes can travel through congested streets, narrow lanes, housing estates and other areas inaccessible to conventional police vehicles, potentially improving response times and arrests.

Body-worn footage released by the Met shows officers using the bikes during recent pursuits in several inner-London boroughs. In one case, police detained a person suspected of riding an illegal, uninsured e-bike; in another, a suspect who fled through traffic and an estate was later arrested and allegedly found with a significant quantity of Class A drugs. The Met said neighbourhood crime had fallen 14% year-on-year, while ministers and the Mayor of London backed the expanded fleet.