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Hanoi people embrace bicycle police

TUOI TRE NEWS, 10/30/2015

Many residents of Hanoi have welcomed the sight of ward police on bicycle patrol since they took up the practice on a pilot basis nearly three months ago.

In early August, 72 bikes were handed to police officers in 12 wards of inner city districts for a pilot program meant to improve urban order and put a friendlier face on the capital’s police force.

Each bike weighs 17.7 kilograms and is armed with flashlights and electric clubs, among other pieces of equipment.

Major General Nguyen Duc Chung, director of the Hanoi Department of Police, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper earlier this month that the department will provide another 1,000 bikes for ward police officers in 12 districts prone to fights and robberies by the end of this month.

Over the past three months, inhabitants on such streets as Co Tan, Dinh Tien Hoang, Hang Trong and Hang Khay have grown used to police officers performing their patrols on green bikes.

They ride slowly through alleys, keeping an eye out for signs of disorder.

The officers also wear broad smiles during conversations with locals.

The Vietnam News Agency cited Dang Van Tuan, a clock repairman on Hang Khay Street in the downtown district of Hoan Kiem, who shared his surprise at the sight of the mounted public security force which he thought was only found in foreign films.

“The bike-riding patrols allow the officers better surveillance and detection of violations,” he added.

Nguyen Van Thinh, residing on Ngo Quyen Street, Hoan Kiem, is also supportive of the initiative of deploying mounted police, pointing out that bicycles emit less noise than other vehicles and allow the police quiet access to criminals.

“The environmentally-friendly practice has also facilitated more contact between the police and residents and helped build people’s rapport with and trust in the law enforcers as well,” the news agency quoted Thinh as saying.

Captain Tran Van Ba, of the Trung Van Ward police in Nam Tu Liem District, told the news agency that he and his colleagues were initially hesitant about the bike-riding patrols, as they have long been hardwired to use motorbikes or automobiles for their patrols.

“I feel much more comfortable with the rides now. We can better build affinity with residents and have had almost no difficulty finding a parking space,” he said.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Hong Loi, deputy head of the Security Police Office under the capital city’s police department, told the Vietnam News Agency that the initiative has also improved compliance among locals.

The department has received positive feedback on the mounted officers’ friendliness.

The move, however, has also faced criticism, as some are concerned about how policemen riding bicycles can chase robbers if they bump into them during a patrol.

Though local policemen can easily dump their bikes to overpower robbers in no time and turn to locals for transport to hunt down fugitive criminals, they may have difficulty catching up with offenders on high-capacity bikes, a number of residents said.

For years, Hanoi police have ridden on pickup trucks for daily patrols, which is considered a costly practice.

Major General Chung, the director of the police department, underscored that as the capital is riddled with teeny alleys, motorbikes or trucks have prevented policemen from gaining quick access to certain spots.

After a three-month pilot basis, the department will review the value of this patrol model before adopting it on a larger scale.

Their counterparts in Cao Lanh, the capital city of Dong Thap Province in the Mekong Delta, have also taken up the practice over the last few months.

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