Police Cyclists

[Iceniner]

Cycling to badminton yesterday came across a couple of mountain bike police officers plodding (excuse the pun) along so i pulled up and started chatting with them.

I was asking what kinda training they do, and they replied with a bit of a laugh "half a day mate", i wonder what their training consists of, does anyone know? basic maintenance covered? They were on nice hydraulic disc brake mtb.

Didnt get to ask if they had read cycle craft magnatom

Shame they werent going down that same road about 20 minutes earlier where some muppet had loaded his car so much he couldnt see out of his passenger window to see me coming from his left side. grrr! The guy just pulled straight out onto the road not even looking!

 

[toontra]

I've seen the Met training in Finsbury Park, where I started training also. It has to be said they were very slow!

 

[HLaB]

I seen them here for the first time in ages; it may of just been a coincidence but it was a lovely sunny day, no wind.

 

[atbman]

The best forces use the International Police MTB Association course which started off about 20 years ago - minus the use of firearms on the bike, of course.

Very thorough - York and Leeds police have used it as have a number of other forces.

I ran several 1-day road cycling courses for local police, including basic off-road skills. Mostly PCSOs but also a couple of police sergeants.

Try www.ipmba.com for more info if you're interested, particularly http://www.ipmba.org/newsletter-0504-commander.htm for a UK officer's viewpoint

 

[HJ]

I seen them here for the first time in ages; it may of just been a coincidence but it was a lovely sunny day, no wind.

Where abouts? I used to cycle past Fettis on my commute and always hoped to see them cycling but never did. Saw the horses, or rather evidence of their outings a few times...

 

[HJ]

Try www.ipmba.com for more info if you're interested.

International Pricing Management Benchmarking Association??

I think you meant http://www.ipmba.org/

 

[HLaB]

Where abouts? I used to cycle past Fettis on my commute and always hoped to see them cycling but never did. Saw the horses, or rather evidence of their outings a few times...

Princes St. Unfortunately I was on foot and when I went to have a second look, to see what kit they had, the lights went green for peds and my view was blocked. I think their mtb's had slicks.

 

[atbman]

International Pricing Management Benchmarking Association??

I think you meant http://www.ipmba.org/

True

 

[Iceniner]

I think their mtb's had slicks.

The guys i saw had normal mountain bike tyres. They were also pedling in what i assume were their standard boots. I asked if they were clipless and they said they had shoes but didnt use them incase they wanted to jump off and chase people.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

The Birmingham ones get taken up the Lickeys -that's not a euphemism, but a range of hills just south of Brum that the Cadbury family gave to Birmingham. It's a great place to learn off-road and mixed terrain skills.

The two I saw today in Blackheath who wobbled out of a side road five feet in front of my lorry clearly hadn't done much training anywhere. Especially as, half a mile up the road, they both proceeded to wobble down a one foot gap between the nearside of the trailer and the kerb, while the traffic was beginning to move. If I hadn't been on the ball I could have squashed them both, twice. As it is, my trailer tyres have got flat spots on now from when I had to hit the brakes to avoid them. Muppets.
They were proper police too, not CPSOs.

 

[Tynan]

saw them catch a bloke on his phone in his car once, they had to shout to get his attention

didn't even warn him

lost the last of my little interest then, what do they actually do?

 

[Piemaster]

Some do get training:

View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yP415OZ7aPw

 

[topcat1]

They run pretty good! Torch bouncers.

 

[col]

saw them catch a bloke on his phone in his car once, they had to shout to get his attention

didn't even warn him

lost the last of my little interest then, what do they actually do?

They are bakers Couldnt resist,bobbys on the beat,but on bikes.

 

[PBancroft]

We have a regular PCSO down our way whom I often chat with. I'll have to ask him how much training he did. Oddly enough, I did notice his bike was made byu a certain Smith and Wesson, which entertained me briefly.