It seems the future of policing in Great Britain is to make bobbies on the beat look silly. At least that’s the only assumption I can make after seeing photos of the T3 Motion motorized tricycle, which was trialled this weekend.

I have a great deal of respect for the police, at least when they’re not devoting too much time and attention to harassing law-abiding drivers. Upholding law and order is a difficult job often made more difficult by the amount of paperwork and politics involved these days.

However, my respect for the British police may be about to go out the window to be replaced by an inability to stop laughing at them. And all because they may soon be using a motorized trike to keep the peace. I know there’s a saying about the police always getting younger but using a tricycle puts a whole new spin on it.

According to the Daily Mail, Sussex Police trialled the T3 Motion at the South of England Show agricultural show this past weekend. The trikes cost around £5,000 each and are designed and produced by a Californian firm. American police in some states already use the vehicles in shopping malls, airports, and housing estates.

The T3 Motion tricycle has three wheels, obviously, has a raised platform for an officer to stand on and can reach a top speed of 25 mph, although the one at the show was limited to just 5 mph. The benefits of the vehicle are environmental ones, with the T3 Motion using chargeable power modules, costing next to nothing to run, and producing no emissions of any kind.

Sussex Police considered the trial a huge success and are considering using one at Gatwick Airport. Other uses could include policing large crowds. The only danger to this whole idea is the prospect that the officers using the trikes could be laughed at by the criminals they’re chasing. I’m not a criminal myself but I’d be there laughing alongside them.

Related:

Entry was posted on Sunday, June 14th, 2009 at 11:51 pm under Amusing, Auto, Opinion, Technology.

Read more entries by Dave Parrack.
Stumble It!