Bedworth police officers launch new bike team

Police in Bedworth are leading the way in Warwickshire Police - by going back to pedal power.

A new team of four officers on pedal cycles has started patrols around the streets and open spaces around Bedworth.

But the new bike team, which forms part of the Bedworth Crime Fighting Team, is anything but old fashioned.

The team have been equipped with high tech 27 gear Smith and Wesson mountain bikes, complete with black and white police livery, which enable the specially trained officers to quickly get to parts of the town where patrol cars cannot access.

"We are able to drive down alleyways and ride directly onto playing fields and open spaces quickly and quietly, often catching up with the offenders before they realise we are on the way." said PC Ian McLeod, who has spearheaded the introduction of the bike squad to Bedworth.

The bike team, which has been funded by Warwickshire Police as part of its community policing programme, is the first in the county, and there are already plans to introduce similar teams in other areas of the force.

"There are individual officers in the force who use pedal cycles to get about on their beats, but this is the first designated team of Warwickshire officers on bikes." explained PC Mcleod who went on to say, "The bike team will be concentrating on youth crime, drunkeness and anti-social behaviour in areas such as the Miners Welfare Park, although the bikes can be deployed to any part of the town."

Before joining the bike team the four Bedworth officers, PCs Ian McLeod, Nathan Hewitt, Simon Krakowski and Jason Darker, all attended a specialist training course run by the International Police Mountain Bike Association, covering tactical policing, patrol strategies plus health and safety and legislation specific to their work on bikes.

The officers wear specially adapted police uniforms including cycle safety helmets and high visibility clothing while on patrol on their mountain bikes, although they are still easily identifiable as police officers.

Early trials by the bike team around Bedworth have had a positive reaction from the community. "We have found that people are happy to stop us to speak to us, and of course we can stop and speak to people a lot more easily than if we are in a patrol car, yet we still have the speed to be able to get from one place to another faster than if we were on foot patrol." Said PC McLeod, who added they have already made a number of successful arrests using the bikes.

The bike team has also proved a hit with the younger members of the community with the mountain bikes making an excellent talking point. "Our bikes are quite a high specification and we are finding that the response from younger members of the community has been very good as they want to know all about them. Previously they probably wouldn't have come over to speak to a police officer, but the bikes are providing us with a chance to speak with these young people."

As well as the high visibility police liveried bikes the bike team are looking to expand the unit with covert, undercover bikes ridden by officers in plain clothes.

"We are looking for sponsorship for this unit and already have one undercover bike which has been bought with funds provided by The Baton Road Group in Bedworth."

Any company interested in providing sponsorship for an undercover police bike is asked to contact PC Ian McLeod at Bedworth Police Station on 02476 641111 for further details.