Submitted by Dave Brook
West Yorkshire Police (UK)
Chapeltown Divisional Commander, Chief
Superintendent Howard Crowther, was literally taken for a ride by Community
Beat Officer, PC Dave Brook, on the division's Smith and Wesson mountain
bikes.
The officers were even late for an official media call as they were arresting
a 19-year-old wanted for breach of burglary offences!
Said Chief Superintendent Crowther "PC Brook has proved me wrong - I am now
convinced by the effectiveness of these bikes. I can't argue with the fact
that consistently, he and his colleagues are producing results."
"I think the key is the positive approach of the officer himself and the
enthusiasm that he approaches his work with. The bikes merely make him more
effective and give him a greater visible presence in the area. He has quite
literally been putting the brakes on criminal activity."
PC Brook has been the driving force behind the Chapeltown Divisional cycle
unit, (West Yorkshire, UK) which started following the launch of IPMBA UK
in June 2004.
By his own admission, PC Brook was not a seasoned cyclist; however, with
the support of IPMBA, he has quickly established an effective cycle unit,
which now has a livery of 13 Smith and Wesson bikes and two unmarked Marin
cycles for undercover work. Three of the bikes are fitted with high tech
surveillance equipment, giving night-time capability and sound to assist
with evidence-gathering.
Explained PC Brook, "I quickly realised that there was more to cycling than
just getting on a bike. The equipment, as well as the training and support
offered by IPMBA, has helped me to prove my case. Thanks must go to Insp
Nigel Tottie, North Yorkshire Police; PC Mark Cockram, City of London Police;
and, of course Maureen Becker, IPMBA. Their advice and support has been
invaluable."
"In the first six months of the unit we have gone from strength to strength."
The unit started during the summer with a six-week pilot period. The bikes
were used for a high visibility operation in the nearly 750 acres of Roundhay
Park, aimed at reducing crime and the fear of crime.
This led to a 100% reduction in robbery from 12 to none and a 94% reduction
in overall crime from 18 to just one.
On top of this, the team responded to nearby areas and arrested seven offenders
for a variety of offences, including drug use.
Since bikes have been used on patrol, the team have made nearly 50 arrests
and recovered over £30,000 of crack cocaine and heroin, four firearms,
and a Taser.
Explained PC Brook, "We have been effective wherever we have been tasked
to work. The element of surprise or the stealth factor really helps us when
we're out and about. We made some arrests recently after spotting known drug
suppliers in a taxi. We literally cycled up to them, got off the bikes and
into their vehicle before they knew we were there. It was as though we had
dropped in from the sky. This led to a large recovery of crack cocaine, heroin
and firearms."
"The bikes are also a great way to break down barriers with youngsters in
the community. They're all into bikes and want to compare these bikes to
their own. It is surprising how many now think our Smith and Wesson bikes
have been produced from melted-down handguns."
To date, PC Brook has secured £12000 funding from the local Council
to develop the cycle unit and work towards the acquisition of surveillance
cameras, piloted with the support of Vision 2000.
PC Brook explained, "I have a good ally in the support of Chief Superintendent
Crowther. Now that he has seen the successes of cycle patrols for himself,
I am inundated with officers wanting to join the team. This can only benefit
the cause and hopefully, with time we will see neighbouring divisions sharing
our successes."
Dave Brook can be reached at
akita@shikomu.freeserve.co.uk.
© 2005 IPMBA. This article appeared in the Winter 2005 issue of
IPMBA News. |
