Police Bike Patrol in training

Police Bike Patrol officers go down the stairs on their bikes as part of a training course.  PHOTO BY CHRIS DAWSON.

Riding your bike down a set of stairs may be a recipe for disaster for amateurs but its all part of a day of training for a handful of police officers during an intensive two-day Bike Patrol training course for officers that will be patrolling the streets of North Bay and Callander during the summer months. 

“We follow the Can Bike program so we are just taking them through that program as well as adding some of our other components, some collision stuff, riding with a uniform, how to dismount a bike as in if you were getting rid of the bike to chase somebody down on foot at that point,” said instructor Steve Sproule who has been on the Bike Patrol for eight years.   

Today is the first of the two days of training which included some classroom work, but in all, the course will comprise more than 100 kilometres of riding to get the Bike Patrol ready for action. 

Through experience, Sproule believes the Bike Patrol can do policing in a stealth-like manner that couldn’t be done in a cruiser.

“We can sneak up on people and get to places where cars can’t - down alley ways, cross through back yards, side roads, all that a kind of stuff as well,” said Sproule. 

Deputy Police Chief Shawn Devine believes that Bike Patrol officers also seem to be more approachable. 

“Residents of North Bay and Callander continue to inform us of the value of having police officers on bicycles in the downtown core and on our bike paths and trails because it provides them with greater access to our officers and a greater sense of security,” said Devine in a media release. 

“Due to this consistent positive feedback and the fact that officers on bicycles are able to access areas that may otherwise be difficult to patrol with a conventional police cruiser, we are pleased to announce our continued commitment to providing this service.”

The newly trained team will hit the streets of North Bay and Callander on June 1st.