US bike cops

[Bollo]

The Grauniad are doing a week of articles on city cycling. Some of it has been guff, but this one caught my eye.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/...why-american-riot-police-embraced-the-bicycle

Outside of London I've not really seen anything like this in the UK. What's interesting is how they use the bikes as a tool for crowd control and, as claimed by some, weapons in their own right.

I just have this image of a future high-speed pursuit squad on TT bikes.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Nice article. A pity about some of the comments, though.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

"Mountain bikes are best “because of the durability factor”, Dyment says. “You may need to ride them down stairs. Officers have to carry equipment including radios and full armament, and they are on average heavier than most people.”

Weight weenies need not apply to become bike cops.

 

[Drago]

The IPMBA website is worth signing up to. Their book on Police patrol cycling is also worth a read, available on Amazon. The defensive tactics are the same that I teach, but the cycle specific firearms techniques are fascinating.

The MIAS website will give you some insight into the UK syllabus, but there's not so muchninfor on there. I'm qualified to 5B.

If anyone wants some training material I can email some stuff out, purely for intellectual interest - anyone attempting anything does so entirely at theirnwkn risk.

@Bollo I've taught units in Northants, TVP, West mids, Notts and Derbyshire, and what was then called Two Shires Ambulance service. I've done several SAR teams too, most notably Kent last weekend, and NSAR later this year. There's a lot if it about, but its not very high profile in the UK.

 

[cyberknight]

 

[Gravity Aided]

I detect a sour cream donut on that bicycle.
Even in smaller cities like mine, the police use bicycles for trail policing, events management, and crowd control.

 

[Drago]

I purchased a small handlebar bag from the States, with a reflective police logo on the front - perfect for carrying an egg and bacon roll and a can of coke, and keeping my other bits safe from grease. Very handy Mars Bar pocket on the side.

 

[Drago]

The article is very interesting. The crowd control part is available in the UK syllabus, bit sadly the NPCC haven't authorised it to be taught. Interesting how a limited company, a technically private enterprise, can dictate police training with little recourse to elected government, buy hey ho.

 

[Sixmile]

Interesting indeed, especially how bike peelers are often the first responders like in the case of the Seattle Uni shooting.

Locally, I have seen one or two of the PSNI on bikes but that was maybe last year. Don't think I've spotted one this year yet but then again, marching season is upon us..

 

[Welsh wheels]

The Grauniad are doing a week of articles on city cycling. Some of it has been guff, but this one caught my eye.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/...why-american-riot-police-embraced-the-bicycle

Outside of London I've not really seen anything like this in the UK. What's interesting is how they use the bikes as a tool for crowd control and, as claimed by some, weapons in their own right.

I just have this image of a future high-speed pursuit squad on TT bikes.

If a TT pursuit squad went through bikes at the rate at which I imagine american police pursuit squads do, that would turn out very expensive!

 

[Bollo]

The IPMBA website is worth signing up to. Their book on Police patrol cycling is also worth a read, available on Amazon. The defensive tactics are the same that I teach, but the cycle specific firearms techniques are fascinating.

The MIAS website will give you some insight into the UK syllabus, but there's not so muchninfor on there. I'm qualified to 5B.

If anyone wants some training material I can email some stuff out, purely for intellectual interest - anyone attempting anything does so entirely at theirnwkn risk.

@Bollo I've taught units in Northants, TVP, West mids, Notts and Derbyshire, and what was then called Two Shires Ambulance service. I've done several SAR teams too, most notably Kent last weekend, and NSAR later this year. There's a lot if it about, but its not very high profile in the UK.

Had a poke around both websites and quite interesting they were, once I'd got past my allergy to mountain bikes (aka pedal tractors ).

I think you're right about lack of traction generally in the UK. A couple of years ago I seem to remember the occasional sighting of bike babylon around central Winchester, but nothing more recently. I imagine that unless there's a pressing issue or a big fat saving to be made, innovation isn't a high priority.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Heh, left wing groups "mount protests", right wing groups "stage provocations". Biased? Much?

 

[Gravity Aided]

I'm gonna mount a provocation and stage a protest, just to spite 'em.

 

[ufkacbln]

The Grauniad are doing a week of articles on city cycling. Some of it has been guff, but this one caught my eye.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/...why-american-riot-police-embraced-the-bicycle

Outside of London I've not really seen anything like this in the UK. What's interesting is how they use the bikes as a tool for crowd control and, as claimed by some, weapons in their own right.

I just have this image of a future high-speed pursuit squad on TT bikes.

One of our local PCs hit the local news...


He is a tri-athlete, and a beat PC who tours his beat on a fairly normal "hybrid" bicycle

Wasn't satisfied with the standard of driving of a driver, so flagged him down.

Guy failed to stop, so the PC chased him on the bike and stopped him about half a mile later

 

[Drago]

I've done similar, although not being a racing snake I had to cheat. I cut the corner by going down a road embankment, through a McDonalds drive through, and emerging on the road ahead of the motorbike I wanted to stop. Unfortunately, I never made the newspapers for that World class piece of showmanship.

As the article alludes, its a good conversation starter and community ice breaker. I had a network of local residents who'd let me stash the bike in their houses if I needed to. I'd intervened with the local car cruise and did them a deal - if they behaved I'd make representation for them the be permitted to continue meeting. They did, and I did, and they loved me - on a Wednesday night I could leave my bike with them and snout around on foot, and return a couple of hours later to find it safe and unmolested - I suspect anyone who'd tried to pinch it would have been slapped about by several hundred 17 year olds.