Shopping centre in Scotland puts security guards on bikes

The intu Braehead shopping centre in Glasgow is reported to have become the first in the country to have security staff patrolling on bikes.

Renfrewshire 24 reports that two shopping centre staff have been provided with mountain bikes to help them get around its car parks, riverside boardwalk and pathways. If the move is successful, more will be made available.

Willie Carmichael and Mohammed Aswar completed a course run by an expert from Cycling Scotland and will now patrol both intu Braehead and the nearby Soar leisure destination.

Operations manager, Paul Lucas, who came up with the idea, explained: “We are a 300-acre site and there’s a very large outside area we are responsible for. That includes several car parks with 6,500 free spaces, the boardwalk along the River Clyde and the many walkways and cycle paths.

“We thought having some of our security staff on mountain bikes would be a good way of covering such a large area in a quick and environmentally friendly way.”

Caroline Hammond, Development Officer at Cycling Scotland, said: “Working with intu Braehead on this unique initiative has been a pleasure.

“Training security staff to cycle confidently as part of their daily rounds is an efficient and innovative way to embed cycling into everyday journeys.

“Cycling Scotland offers a range of training opportunities to help more people to cycle regularly, and it is great to see our training being implemented in this way.”