A British dirt bike champion from Harrogate is part of a beefed-up team of off-road motorcycle police officers tackling rural crime in North Yorkshire.
PC Ellie Cooke is the 2019 British Enduro Champion, which is a form of off-road motorcycle racing. She is also the 2019 and 2020 British Sprint Champion.
PC Cooke’s riding talent is also helping North Yorkshire Police combat rural and wildlife crime, search for missing people and deter cross-border criminality.
Four new riders recently passed the College of Policing training, bringing to seven the total number of officers operating Honda CRF250L motorbikes in the county.
North Yorkshire Police increased the size of the team in response to rising levels of anti-social behaviour and crime associated with motorcycles.
The force received more than 100 calls about incidents linked to off-road bikes between April and July this year.
The off-road motorcycle team.
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PC Cooke, who will will combine her role in the motorcycle team with her job as a response officer in Harrogate, said:
“When I heard about the off-road motorcycle team, I knew that this would be the perfect role me, as I could transfer my off-road riding skills into work.
“I knew from a young age I wanted to be a police officer, and there is nothing better than being able to do the job I love while riding a motorbike.”
Inspector Kevin Kelly, who developed and implemented the team, said:
“I’m immensely proud of the team. This is arguably one of the most physically demanding roles in policing, and the officers have put a huge amount of work in to develop their skills and resilience.
“The team is now in a position to support a range of policing operations in urban and rural areas – from busy town centres to remote national parks. I know they will make a real difference in our communities.”