Superintendent John Pow the officer in charge of policing for the event said: ” Bikes are used by our community officers across the force area and communities are accustomed to seeing their local officer using pedal power to get about. The electric bike gives us an enhanced means of transport when deploying an officer to an incident on the Old Course and compliments our need to reduce any player distraction to a minimum by way of noise. The presence of the electric bike serves to demonstrate Fife Constabulary’s awareness of our environmental responsibilities and how we are keen to harness innovation to deliver policing in the context of the Open Golf Championship. The main advantage of the bike is that when an officer attending an incident begins to fatigue, the bike will help him keep up the pace, thereby ensuring a timeous arrival.”

John Kochaniuk of Electric Bikes Scotland said: “Electric bikes enable the officer to cover a greater area at a faster pace regardless of the terrain. Also when the environmental and sustainability benefits are considered I believe they become a valuable asset to community policing.”