UK: Essex police chief makes pitch to bring back bike patrols

[Bob]

Essex police Chief Constable Roger Baker has proposed to reintroduce the county’s motorcycle unit, which was axed in 1999. He said: "Motorcycles can be used for a whole range of policing services. They are a vital and proven tool in tackling crime and reducing the number of deaths on our roads.”

His proposal has to go before the Police Authority for a final decision. The force axed its 30 motorbikes as part of a £7.1million package of cuts.


On a personal note (and as someone who lives on the east London/Essex border - a few miles to Essex, but it is close enough), I am delighted to see a police chief see sense. The bike patrols - which London still has, albeit in reduced numbers, are so useful it is unreal. They can reach incidents faster, so can be point control. And they're bikers, so they'll treat us with decency and understand what we're about.

[bugjuice]

i thought all the counties had bikes...? To get rid of them is just dumb
bring on paramedic bikes too!

[Lou Girardin]

i thought all the counties had bikes...? To get rid of them is just dumb
bring on paramedic bikes too!

You may not remember the good old MOT days. Cops on bikes parked out of sight at intersections catching red light runners. Doing all manner of traffic enforcement actually. What we have now is a shadow of that.

[madboy]

I think cops bikes are a great idea. I watched some patrol car try and carve it's way through central Wgtn yesterday at peak time, it was just plain bloody sad. If he was going the same way as me, I woulda been quicker, and I was just heading home at a sedate pace!

Cars are useful for load carrying, etc, but in so many cases it seems that the physical and visible presence of the Police is often enough - even if it is only while the "troops" arrive. If the bike can get there 2 or even 5 mins faster, then that has to be a positive.

In saying that, I hate the bastards parked on the side of the mway with the radar/laser, under offramps, so much harder to see. And so much bloody harder to get away from too! :devil2:

[Bob]

i thought all the counties had bikes...? To get rid of them is just dumb
bring on paramedic bikes too!

There are proposals to introduce a lot more paramedic bikes across the country as well. Idea being that it is expensive, invasive and often a waste of time taking people into A&E when they could often be better treated at home. So higher-trained paramedics could take initial calls at home, calling for an ambulance if more care is needed. There have been a couple of trial schemes, which have been a great success I understand.

Of course, going from "proposal" to "pilot scheme" to actually getting this properly under way is a long, drawn-out process...

London has had a fleet of 8 motorcycle paramedics for some time now. I interviewed one of them for UBG magazine a couple of years back. Top people and really good at what they do. And boy can they ride those bikes! I was on the way to Brands Hatch once. There were a lot of bikes about, as you'd imagine. And a paramedic bike came through. And left everyone standing! There were guys on sporty stuff struggling to keep with him.

[cowpoos]

funny....hmmm....uk has and is currently using police bikes....st1100 from memorie...maybe that cop is a retard or sumthing...

[cowpoos]

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/nav?page=motorcyclenews.articles.articleCategory.a rticle&resourceId=3687882&articleCategory=NEWS_USED-BIKE-NEWS

proof :2thumbsup

[Bob]

Yes, the UK does have police bikes - but it is down to each police force (each county has it's own police authority) whether they spend part of their budget on a bike fleet.

In the case of Essex, they (as I said) scrapped their bike force in 1999. As did a number of other police authorities.

The feature from MCN you linked to refers to Merseyside police force - one of the authorities that did keep their bike fleet intact.

Thankfully, the Metropolitan Police (London area to you) kept their force - and their use is proven time and again. As it is where I live, I'm very grateful for them still being about.

[Bob]

Essex police authority has agreed to bring back their motorcycle patrols, six years after they were abolished in a cost-cutting exercise. A report by Chief Constable Roger Baker said forces that reinstated motorcycle patrols saw casualties drop and he wanted to save lives.

The force now plans to spend £72,000 on six new motorbikes in a bid to make roads safer. Chief Constable Baker said: "A key part of police work is preventing loss of life and serious injury and if we can do this with motorcycle patrols then the expenditure is well worthwhile."

[TLDV8]

You may not remember the good old MOT days. Cops on bikes parked out of sight at intersections catching red light runners. Doing all manner of traffic enforcement actually. What we have now is a shadow of that.

I still remember a few of my step brothers MOT bikes... a blue Norton Commando,a bronze and white (UK box fuel tank) 650 Bonneville around 1973/4 and a Honda 750 maybe 1975/6 which i rode round the block :woohoo:

[Macktheknife]

bring on paramedic bikes too!

In fact City of London has several and I was having a chat with one on my last visit, ended up having a few quiet ales with him actually, lovely guy and the crew work damned hard. They have been a roaring success in London too, I understand they are looking at spreading the use of them substantially, or so he told me. Very nicely kitted out bikes too.

[Bob]

In fact City of London has several and I was having a chat with one on my last visit, ended up having a few quiet ales with him actually, lovely guy and the crew work damned hard. They have been a roaring success in London too, I understand they are looking at spreading the use of them substantially, or so he told me. Very nicely kitted out bikes too.

If I remember correctly (as I said above, I once interviewed one of the paramedic bikers for Used Bike Guide), it costs something like £18,000 to kit out one of the bikes.

He (and you) are also right in saying there are plans to increase them - there have been a couple of very successful pilot schemes on top of London's using them full-time... but as I said, moving from "intention" to "pilot" to "really doing it" is a very long, drawn out process...

What follows is a link to the news story on the subject:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=13717&highlight=PARAMEDIC