Police administrators are increasingly seeing the many benefits of outfitting their services with bike patrols
BY REBECCA KENDALL
En route to an emergency call, the officer manoeuvres the police vehicle through a crowded street, turning a sharp corner to take a shortcut through a narrow alley. A short flight of stairs looms in the near distance, but the officer doesn't hesitate and descends them with ease.
This is the new face of law enforcement. Today's officers are abandoning their cruisers in growing numbers, preferring instead to work on mountain bikes. At U of G, seven campus police officers are trained to use bicycles. Each has been trained by Const. Steve Forbes.
There are many benefits to outfitting police services with bike patrols, says Forbes.
“A lot of them have realized that bicycles are a faster way to respond to calls in congested areas, downtown areas and urban areas, and on footpaths or green spaces — generally anywhere a patrol car may have difficulty reaching. There are things we can do on bicycles that officers in cars or on foot can't.”
Forbes has been patrolling his beat by bike for 10 years — the past four at U of G — and is currently one of only two International Police Mountain Bike Association instructors in Canada qualified to teach bicycle patrolling courses. Through his instruction, officers learn to use their bikes in a variety of ways that give them an advantage from a tactical standpoint.
“Bike patrols can be used for enforcement, community events and policing and for everyday patrol,” he says. “There are many facets of the bike patrol and the ways it can be used, and that's what police services are picking up on. Administrators have come to realize that, with the price of gas and the cost of vehicles, they can outfit three or four officers with bikes for the same amount of money and get much more of a return for it.”
Having officers on bikes also fosters a closer connection between law enforcement and the community, says Robin Begin, director of Campus Community Police. “Students feel comfortable saying hello, and there's a positive rapport that's developed.” She also likes the fact that using bikes is an environmentally friendly way to work.
Forbes completed law and security training at Georgian College in Owen Sound before landing his first job in law enforcement as a special constable at Queen's Park. After five years there, he joined the police department at the University of Toronto, where he developed a campus bike patrol.
Since then, he's trained officers from various organizations, including the University of Waterloo, Carleton University, the University of Western Ontario, Waterloo Regional Police and Guelph Police Services.
Forbes led four courses this summer and estimates he's taught more than 140 officers the skills needed to be successful on a bike since he began teaching four years ago. The courses run for three days, with participants receiving 36 hours of instruction.
“By the end of the course, the officers are surprised by what they've learned,” says Forbes. “I teach them how to go up and down stairs, mount curbs from different directions and dismount in different ways, depending on the particular situation they're encountering.”
He says that wanting to lose weight or get more exercise aren't good reasons for an officer to switch from a car to a bike patrol. Rather, it's for officers who have experience with biking, whether competitively or for leisure.
“It's for avid cyclists,” he says. “It's a way to do what you love and do it at work.”
Forbes used to be a competitive biker, racing the Ontario Cup downhill racing series. This summer, he opted to volunteer his skills at Blue Mountain in Collingwood.
“In the past few years, ski resort owners have realized how popular downhill mountain biking has become and have built trail networks down the side of the hills for the summertime crowds, so they can use the hills year-round. Downhill mountain biking can be dangerous. Lots of bad things can happen to you, and people can get in over their head, so having the opportunity to take people out to break them in and teach them the skills they need to enjoy the sport is satisfying.”
His love of biking has been absorbed by his two sons, aged seven and 10. Forbes says they're starting to learn tricks on a teeter-totter-like apparatus called “skinnies.” “They are really catching on.”
He's also an executive member of the Guelph Off-Road Cycling Association. There are some great riding trails in and around Guelph, he says, and it's not just a mild-weather sport.
“It's a lot of fun riding in the winter, and if you layer your clothing well, it's actually quite enjoyable. With the proper training and knowledge of potential hazards, you have no reason not to ride all year.”
