A Police initiative to tackle overcrowding on a school bus route by getting pupils to cycle instead has scooped a top prize.

Operation School Bike was set up to address travel issues affecting Charles Darwin School in Biggin Hill. The school was given 30 unclaimed bikes from the Bromley MPS property store to loan out to students for cycling to and from school.

The bikes were then marked and registered on the BikeRegister database to ensure they could be linked back to the school if any were lost or stolen.

For the third time in four years, Bromley Police won the top travel prize at the Problem Orientated Partnerships (POP) awards at New Scotland Yard. Officers picked up a certificate, trophy and £1,000 to invest in community transport projects in the borough.

PC Darren Barlow from Bromley Police’s Safer Transport Team said: “I am really pleased at the recognition that this initiative has received as, in addition to the obvious health benefits to the students, it demonstrates all elements of the community coming together to solve a problem.”

Steve Burton, TfL Director of Community Safety, Enforcement and Policing said: “The POP awards provide a great opportunity to recognise the best problem orientated policing projects in the MPS to deal with crime and anti-social behaviour issues that affect our communities. The winners should be very proud of what they have achieved and the difference they are making to the safety and security of the communities they work in.”

For further information and images contact: Jodie Fisher, Marketing Executive for Selectamark.

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