Subscribe to RSSCops Take To Mountain Bikes
Police have found a new way to get around - mountain bikes.
Rotorua Police are taking to the beat by parking up their patrol cars and patrolling the city streets on mountain bikes.
Rotorua Police Community Services Manager, Senior Sergeant Brent Crowe, says that as part of this season’s policing plan, members of the Rotorua Community Policing Section have taken to mountain bikes in an effort to be more visible and accessible in the CBD over the busy summer months.
“Our focus was on making people visiting or working in the CBD feel safe and reassured, along with our increased presence acting as a deterrent to any potential problems.”
Out of their cars, on to bikes
Mr Crowe says the initiative provided fast response times to calls for service in the CBD and has seen the community section make a number of apprehensions that otherwise may have gone unreported.
“Another advantage of the bicycle patrols is the amount of ground Police can cover when compared to foot patrols or beat work.
“With the bikes, we also have the ability to patrol car parks, alleyways, reserves and tourist locations that can sometimes not be covered as effectively by car or on foot.”
Senior Sergeant Crowe says the bicycle patrols were also used to assist Police set up cordons around a recent scrub fire at a local golf course and have proven especially useful in getting through traffic congestion.
“Bicycle patrols have proven to be a very useful patrol tactic and we will be looking for others ways to use them this year.”
He says the feedback on this initiative to date has been positive and encouraging and it is likely that the initiative will become a permanent part of the local summer policing operation.
11 Comments
Great initiative.
Nelson in the South Island also has police on bikes, as have various cities in Australia, like Perth. I’d love to see them in Auckland. Not only for “normal” police beat work, but also for enforcing both drivers and cyclists keeping to the road rules.
A cop on a bike will understand cyclist’s worries about motorist behaviour, and at the same time, he can tell cyclists off (or fine them) if they themselves break the rules, without being seen as cracking down on the victims, rather than the offenders*.
*Because in the wide majority of cyclist-vehicle crashes, it’s actually the driver at fault (over 70% according to NZTA stats), never mind the bad rap that cyclists get in parts of the press.
So police cyclists would be a real win-win, I think.
Yip Sydney has bike cops too, even in the outer burbs
Bike cops have appeared in the Eastern Bays during summer in years past. Not entirely sure what’s happened to them, but given the state of traffic chaos on summer weekends they’d be one heck of an equaliser in getting places in a hurry.
They have bike patrols in London. Great for the estates where most of the people they’re interested in are also on bikes.
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Oh dear so old. Why are the police going on about a “new initiative” They were push biking years ago. Traffic was handled on off road m/cycles to catch kids on trail bikes. Sorry not impressed. It should be standard enforcement.
Can’t wait for the High Speed DownHill Chase’s
“Sorry not impressed. It should be standard enforcement.”
It should, but since it ISN’T, it is indeed newsworthy. Such initiatives don’t become commonplace again unless some public visibility, and “excitement” for a lack of a less PR-department phrase) is created.
imagine, one day in the future, the cops would also use skateboards, scooters and rollerblades getting around.
*hysterical laughter*
Oh dear just had a thought of a constables first time on the rollerblades, lost control of his speed and falling over the Oriental Parade waterfront!
couldnt say it would be ideal for auckland, as rotorua is very flat compared to our ever changing terrain.
Ah, the “hilly terrain” comment. There’s about 5 streets in Auckland too steep for bicycles, and most of the busier areas where beat cops are (or should be around) like the waterfront, Tamaki Drive, parts of the CBD, are all pretty flat. Same goes for large parts of Manukau and Waitakere, just as an example! Don’t get so fixated on our mountain cones - we really live mostly in valleys, plains and on a few ridges here in Auckland.