Pedal power is the latest weapon to be used in the fight against crime in Southend.

Police have received delivery of ten new bicycles to patrol the streets of the borough, making officers more mobile and able to respond to crimes more quickly.

The bikes, costing £350 each and made by Smith and Wesson, will be used by neighbourhood policing teams across the town.

The firm, more famous for producing guns, began supplying bikes to American police forces in the 1990s and also supplies the Metropolitan Police, and other UK forces.

PC Emma Chambers was one of the first officers in Southend to use one of the new police bicycles.

She said: "The bikes are excellent. They allow us to cover a greater area than if on foot and we can get to places a car cannot reach."

Southend police have used pedal bikes for many years, but this is the first time they have been marked with police logos, which bosses believe will make them more visible and therefore safer, when officers are responding to emergency calls.

Officers will wear special high visibility uniforms and cycle helmets with police written across them.