Cops on bikes to patrol busy areas

Albany police will now be patrolling our streets on bicycles.

The bike patrol has been introduced to Albany for the first time to give police officers a more effective and visible presence in popular local areas.

Albany police Acting Senior Sergeant Nathan Parkey said it would be an effective way of getting around.

“This is the first time we have been properly equipped to have bike patrols in Albany,” he said.

“We sourced our bikes from Bob;s Bikes and at the moment we have 15 trained officers and about eight who are out and about doing patrols, with more to be trained in the future.”

Sgt Parkey said the bike patrols would be beneficial for Albany, particularly in tourist areas and busy locations.

“We have the capacity to transport the bikes to a suburb so the officers can ride around in those areas and go down the cycle paths, and places like the boardwalk — that isn’t accessible by car,” he said.

As for patrols on Stirling Terrace on Friday and Saturday nights, Sgt Parkey said they would consider using the bikes.

“We will consider having the bike patrols in that area, although we do use the vehicles a bit more as these nights are busy,” he said.

“We plan to use the bike patrols in events, where there are road closures in place, and big crowds.”

Sgt Parkey said the decision to introduce bike patrols in Albany was a proactive strategy.

“It’s good for visibility, they are popular with the tourists and they are more approachable I suppose. It’s something we have been keen on getting up and running, getting the equipment and now we’re all ready to go,” he said.

Trained bike patrol officer Senior Constable Bennett Moss said it would be a great tool in certain targeted patrol areas.

“It’s also very approachable as far as the community engagement goes, we are a lot more approachable now on bikes than we are, say, driving around in a van or traffic car — people are a lot happier to come up and talk to us,” he said. “During peak hour it’s quicker getting around on a bike than a car and much more accessible.”