The cycle of policing
by Maryanne Firth, The Tribune, Monday, June 2, 2014 3:59:16 EDT PM
These are no children's training wheels.
When Niagara Regional Police officers learn to ride bikes, they learn to ride hard. They learn to fearlessly manoeuvre obstacles, take the sharpest of turns and apprehend suspects without skipping a beat.
But they also learn the importance of being able to engage the community while out on two wheels.
The police force typically hosts its bicycle training course, regulated by the International Police Mountain Bike Association, twice each spring and only a handful of the many officers who apply are accepted.
Its most recent session, held last week at the Welland training unit, had seven students who underwent 40 hours of theoretical and practical training. In total, 85 officers in the service are certified.
“We try to get everyone trained in time for when the big summer events start,” said course instructor Const. Mike Warnock.
Bike-savvy officers can often be seen in the warmer months at parades and festivals held throughout the region. It's also not uncommon to find them pedalling through downtown St. Catharines on busy summer nights, down the Twelve Mile Creek trails and through various Niagara parks.
“It's a chance to get out and be visible,” Warnock said. “Citizens love it and so do the officers.”
Community engagement is only one of many benefits to hitting the streets on two wheels instead of four. “You can get into a lot of places cruisers can't,” Warnock said, and “you can get through traffic a lot quicker.”
When dispatched to a call at a nearby location, biking officers can take advantage of alleyways and other shortcuts. Bikes mean also being able to move more easily through large crowds of people. “It's amazing how stealth you are on a bike,” Warnock said, but while adding there are always situations that are better to avoid when cycling.
The NRP's course focuses on traffic hazards, suspect apprehension, negotiating obstacles and mastering slow-speed skills. The cyclists are also taught where to place themselves “in relation to the bad guy” while on a pursuit, Warnock said.
Refresher courses are held every two years to ensure skills remain sharp.
“It's hard work, but you have fun doing it,” he said.
General patrol on bikes is only done when time and manpower allows, he said, though there are certain units that are able to saddle up more often. The NRP's school resource officers (SRO), who work with Niagara's high schools, spend much of their summer pedalling through the region.
Last year, a lot of focus was paid to Centennial Park in St. Catharines, once known for heavy drug activity and prostitution. “We put our bikes down there all the time,” said NRP Sgt. Chris Stewart, who heads the service's SRO program. “In the beginning, there were a lot of transient people there, a lot of drug activity, and by the end of summer there were people throwing Frisbees around and walking their dogs.”
That on-bike police presence helped to eliminate fear residents had of using the green space, Stewart said. “We gave the park back to them.”
On bike, police last summer were also able to catch people drinking in parking lots before hitting downtown bars in the Garden City. “They're easy to find,” Stewart said. “And no one expects us to roll up on bikes. One of the main reasons why it's good is the element of surprise.”
Word spreads quickly when police are in the area, he said, which has led to less disturbances downtown. “It's effective,” Stewart said, adding the unit intends to keep wheels turning this summer.
In July and August 2013, the NRP's cyclists brought in 47 arrests for various offences, many of them alcohol- and drug-related, issued 43 tickets and generated 100 police reports.
Through a partnership with the Brain Injury Association of Niagara, officers have also been able to hand out positive tickets — giving water park passes to children on bikes and skateboards caught wearing their helmets.