Pedal powered policing gets advanced
A new ‘advanced’ police cycling team was officially launched in
Southend on Saturday, June 12.
Members of the public
met the team and were given bike security and safety tips
at the top of Southend Pier.
The advanced cycling team comprises of one sergeant, two police
constables and two police community support officers and is the
first dedicated cycle team to be set up within Essex Police.
This team comes as a result of Operation Velo – a cycling
operation in its second year which is about giving the people of
Essex great policing by increasing police visibility through more
cycle patrols.
Due to the continued success of the operation it was decided
that a team dedicated solely to patrolling on cycles was to be set
up. The team will cover the South Eastern division meaning that
they could patrol anywhere in the Southend, Rochford and
Castlepoint districts.
Officers in the team have undergone intensive advanced cycle
training which means that they can chase and catch offenders safely
and quickly.
They are able to perform quick dismounts as can be seen in this
video and they are also able to manoeuvre large sets of steps or
uneven terrain.
Sgt Paul Bird who is leading the team said that this will enable
them to get to places quicker than in a car; “By being advanced
trained we can get to difficult places quickly. We can beat traffic
and get to places hard to get to in a car. It's also helping
us do what we are hired to do- catch criminals. Being on the
team also keeps us fit, is environmentally friendly and helps us
engage with the local communities.”
Read more about the launch