IPMBA News

Lacombe Police Take to the Streets on Bikes

By Jonathan Guignard, Lacombe Online, July 20, 2017

Photo:  Constable Jeffrey Hewitt

Lacome, Alberta -- Residents in Lacombe will now be seeing more police officers out on bikes.

Lacombe Police Service now has a bike patrol unit, after four officers completed their training. 

Two bikes were purchased in the winter, with the help of the Lacombe Kinsman Club, who donated $5,000 to the cause. The money was used to purchase the bikes along with equipment such as emergency kits, clothing and helmets.

Constable Jeffrey Hewitt spear-headed the idea after spending years patrolling on bikes in Red Deer and said there are many advantages that come from it.

“If you’re doing back alley patrols, you can sneak up and catch people. Thieves are fairly smart and if you’re driving a vehicle they can hear the sound of the vehicle and hide. When they hear them at 3 a.m. they know there aren’t many other vehicles (on the road).

“It’s a great tool.”

He adds it’s also a great way to better connect with the community.

“With a bike, we are out there and can hear everything you say. We’re a lot closer to the public, so I find that’s how we can build that interaction right off the get go.”

“If someone just wants to say hi you can say hi back. Usually that leads to how’s your day going and you got a full conversation from there.”

Four more officers will be trained on bike patrol by the end of August.

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