Police officers get bicycle ban

Christopher was on duty at the time of the incident

Hundreds of police officers in Greater Manchester have been banned from patrolling on their bicycles on health and safety grounds.

The move follows the death of a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) who was on duty when his bicycle was hit by a lorry in Hindley Green, Wigan.

Christopher Maclure, 21, suffered head injuries and died at the scene.

All officers with less than a year's experience on a bike have now been stopped while a review is carried out.

Greater Manchester Police said officers with more than a year's experience could continue to use mountain bikes, but they would be given extra safety advice.

A spokesman said: "This decision has been taken following the tragic death of PCSO Chris Maclure in Wigan.

"The safety of officers and staff is our first priority and, while there is no suggestion the assessment process Chris underwent had anything to do with the collision, we have decided to review the nature of assessing officers who patrol on bikes.

"Following consultation with our health and safety training unit and Unison, we feel confident that officers who have patrolled on bikes for more than 12 months have sufficient experience and road awareness to continue to ride.

"They will be given supplementary advice regarding the Highway Code and safe riding and we will support anybody who has concerns about continuing to patrol on their bikes.

"We hope the officers affected by this review will be back patrolling on bikes in a couple of months."