Police officers on wheels for Wellington
by THOMAS MANCH, Stuff Limited, April 22, 2018
Photo by ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF: Wellington Community Police officers- Constable Ben Hopkins and Sergeant Hamish Knight are part of a new Police on Bikes patrol,that will spot texters in cars and other misdemeanours.
Wellington NZ -- Buckle up Wellington, fluoro-wearing bicycle cops will be keeping an eye out for anyone not wearing a seatbelt.
Wellington police officers have been equipped with bicycles to patrol the city streets and get a head above the crowds.
The four officers on the community police team currently spend their days patrolling town on foot, watching the city's CCTV, checking in with businesses and Victoria University.
[The bikes will enable the patrol to be more nimble, and even carry out pursuits.] Sergeant Hamish Knight, who leads the community policing team, said they will cycle through town, pursuing offenders and pulling up alongside cars at traffic lights.
When riding a bicycle it's possible to "see that person without a seatbelt on, see that person texting on a phone," Knight said.
The concept is not new, officers in Auckland, Huntly and Nelson are also equipped with two wheels. Knight said it was important Wellington officers move with the city's growing cycle infrastructure.
The four entry-level mountain bikes will be available to all officers who complete a Greater Wellington Regional Council cycle training course, which teaches early signalling of intentions, how to look over the shoulder, and create space on the road.
"I would like to see us clocking around 20 to 30 kilometres a week. It's up to the teams to think about how they can use these."
The stealth of a bicycle - compared to a V6 Holden engine - lends itself to silent suburban patrol, he said.
There are no blue and red lights attached to the black-painted bikes, though officers can expect to be pulling over vehicles with the wave of a hand or a tap on the window.
And they'll give chase. Knight said being able to weave through traffic might place them at an advantage over patrol cars.
Officers will wear stab-proof vests and have all the necessary gear on the belts holding up their shorts.
Fluoro helmets and a marked high-visibility vest will help them stand out, so the officers don't expect to receive the same flak from drivers as commuting cyclists might.
But they do expect to feature on a few social media posts while out on late-night weekend shifts.
Wellington City councillor Sarah Free, who holds the public transport, cycling and walking portfolio, said the council had provided maintenance gear and bottle holders for the bicycles to support the move.
"They'll be able to get places where regular police cars can't get too ... they'll be more agile and be able to respond more quickly.
"This will be a great way of making sure this city is just a bit safer."