A new generation of bicycling
"bobbies"
by Nigel Tottie
North Yorkshire Police
York, England
Mention Police Cycle Patrols to most
UK residents and they will conjure up images from 50 years ago of the old
village "Bobby" riding his rickety sit-up-and-beg bike around the streets,
wearing a long black cape and traditional police helmet. Nowhere is this
more true than in York, in the North of England. A medieval city, York's
centre is still surrounded by its castle walls and the city is nothing if
not traditional in its values and outlook. Policing in York reflects these
values, with Bobbies in their black pointed helmets and coats still a familiar
sight strolling around the city centre, to the delight of many American tourists.
All of this changed, however, when York's police moved firmly into the 21st
century by reinventing the cycle patrol!
On the 15th July 2002, North Yorkshire Police launched an innovative high-profile
uniformed cycle patrol project in York. The "North Yorkshire Police York
Community Cycle Unit," established to carry out uniformed cycle patrols in
York, was a radical shift away from the traditional foot and vehicle based
patrols on which North Yorkshire Police, and most other UK forces rely.
The Unit's objectives were:
· To deliver high quality, high profile patrols;
· To raise the profile of North Yorkshire Police amongst the community;
· To reduce crime and the fear of crime; and
· To increase feelings of safety within the community.
As will be seen, the Unit easily achieved these objectives within a very
short period of time.
The project was funded by local businesses who paid for the Unit's cycles,
clothing and equipment (£13,287.94 - about $20,400 - was raised); while
salaries were funded by North Yorkshire Police.
TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT
To ensure their ability to patrol effectively on cycles, officers underwent
training as Advanced Cycling Instructors with the City of York Council's
Cycle Training Department, and underwent a medical check by the North Yorkshire
Police Occupational Health Unit.
Once deemed fit to patrol, the officers were equipped with good quality,
cycle-specific uniforms to make patrolling in all weathers comfortable and
safe. This proved to be one of the most important issues for the Unit and
kept the officers healthy and motivated - function truly dictates form in
cycle patrols. Normal uniform attire was found to be not only impractical
but also unhealthy; for example, black uniform safety boots proved to be
both structurally inadequate, falling apart within weeks with the constant
cycling motion, and inadequately ventilated, causing Athlete's Foot from
the heat and moisture build-up on hot days. Once replaced with proper SPD
compatible cycle boots, all of these problems disappeared - no more itchy
toes!
Cycle design is at least as important as uniform design for police cyclists.
Specially adapted Scott MTBs with front suspension forks and front disc brakes
gave the handling and braking ability vital in urban areas, whilst high quality
lights, blue lights and sirens also proved vital when responding to incidents
in pedestrian areas. Visibility is of paramount importance to the police
cyclist.
PATROLLING METHODS AND BENEFITS
Officers patrolled in pairs at all times to ensure their safety and the security
of their cycles and equipment, and each day at least one pair of officers
was working. A combination of day and late shifts (but not nights) enabled
officers to remain in the public eye as much as possible, and ensured a high
profile within the community.
Officers remained flexible in meeting community needs, and were set, or set
themselves, tasks and patrol areas according to those needs. The officers
were tasked either by self-monitoring of daily issues which could be tackled
by cycle patrols, such as youth disorder, damage and crime hotspots; by central
tasking through the Area Tasking and Co-Ordination Unit, which evaluates
crime and disorder trends; or by Local Tasking Requests from community officers.
This flexibility proved vital in meeting the expectations of the public.
The Unit's ability to patrol where vehicles cannot go - cycle paths, alleyways,
woodland and parks - led to areas seeing a regular police presence for the
first time. The medieval design of York, with narrow streets unable to cope
with modern traffic flow, also allowed officers to respond more swiftly than
vehicles to many incidents. It was not unusual for cycle officers, first
on the scene of an incident, to make an arrest, wait for the van to collect
their prisoner, and then cycle to the Custody Area and wait for the van to
arrive some 5-10 minutes later!
The benefits of cycle patrols were best demonstrated by the Unit's results
in its first six months, in which officers:
Arrested 102 offenders; attended 542 incidents; cycled 7071 miles; carried
out 66 stop-searches; arrested 12 people as a result of property recovered
from those searches; detected 70 crimes; carried out around 3465 hours of
patrol; took no time off work due to sickness or ill-health; initiated a
scheme in which 245 cyclists in York were dealt with for lighting offences;
and saved North Yorkshire Police £1500 in fuel costs.
Research of these results showed that the cycle officers had an arrest rate
45% higher than that of their vehicle-based colleagues, a stop-search rate
164% higher and an arrest rate from stop-searches 71% higher - a direct result
of the greater mobility, flexibility and increased speed of response enjoyed
by cycle patrols!
On several occasions Unit officers successfully detained suspects after foot
officers had been outrun, and several drug arrests were made by officers
riding right up to offenders without being seen or heard, leaving them unable
to dispose of evidence. As the officers did not meet the criminal stereotype
of a police officer, both in their mode of transport and uniform, such arrests
were surprisingly easy.
PUBLIC OPINION
In addition to the patrol benefits of the cycles, there was overwhelming
support for the scheme from the public of York. Officers handed out
questionnaires to members of the public during the first six weeks of the
scheme to gauge public opinion. Of the 30 questionnaires handed out, 26 were
returned, all of which were clearly supportive of the scheme and in favour
of its continuation. Most noteworthy was that all of the respondents stated
that the presence of the cycle patrols made them feel reassured and less
likely to be a victim of crime. The unit also received several letters of
appreciation, and has been the subject of media interest on both a regional
and national level.
Undoubtedly the approachability of cycle patrols is the key to their success.
It was not unusual for Cycle Unit officers in York to find difficulty in
moving around the pedestrianised areas of the City Centre due to the number
of people who wished to stop and speak, initially about cycles and cycle
patrols, and then about more general policing and community issues - clear
evidence that accessibility works.
CONCLUSION
The benefits of cycle patrols for effective policing are clear, both in terms
of physical results and efficiency. These results are in part due to the
positive effects cycle patrols have on officers themselves. In York, the
motivation of the team remained high throughout the pilot - not only did
the officers greatly enjoy what they were doing, they were also constantly
reminded of public approval; the stream of appreciative members of the public
wanting to stop and talk gave ample evidence of this.
Cycle patrols appear to hit all of the target areas for a police service
trying to reassure its communities and reduce their fear of crime. They are
perfectly suited to deal with the anti-social behaviour which impacts so
many peoples' lives, combining speed and mobility with stealth of approach.
Even with high-visibility uniforms, officers found it all too easy to approach
individuals and groups without detection. Combine these factors with the
public reassurance which cycle patrols promote, and it is easy to see that
cycles strike the perfect balance between accessibility and mobility in the
urban environment, arguably to the benefit of all.
The York Community Cycle Unit is currently undergoing an expansion which
will see the four officers used during the pilot increased to ten, providing
24 hour cycle cover seven days a week. This expansion should see even better
results returned for North Yorkshire Police.
Nigel can be reached at
nigel.tottie@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.
© 2003 IPMBA. This article first appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of
IPMBA News. |
