Richmond Police have been given two new e-bikes to help patrol the streets.
This after a month-long trial was undertaken in four major cities across the country at the start of the year to see how effective they would be in modern-day policing.
Given that Nelson Tasman has so many cycle trails and bike tracks, it was decided the region would benefit from their use.
It’s thought that having officers on e-bikes gives them increased visibility and presence in the community and can help deter crime such as vehicle theft, burglary and disorder.
Biking is becoming a more common way of getting around with easy manoeuvrability through traffic, and e-bikes are an environmentally-friendly option.
The main draw for the e-bikes is that they will enable officers to focus on distracted drivers who are texting or using cell phones, which is one of the main causes of accidents in the region, and also people not wearing seatbelts.
“I’ll be patrolling on the e-bike over the summer now the schools have
broken up,” says Richmond’s School
Community Officer Constable Hamish Wybrow.
“Being on an e-bike means we’ll be able to have a presence on cycle tracks, reserves, beaches or green spaces and many places that the patrol cars just can’t get us.”
The other e-bike at the station will be used by School Community Officer Marcus Beuker.
“So many people use scooters, skateboards or bikes nowadays and this way we have a presence among them,” says Marcus. “The e-bikes make it faster than being on foot for us and the motor will give us a bit of help going uphill.”
The officers have received full safety training but won’t be able to partake in high-speed pursuits as the bikes don’t have cameras or flashing lights.
Stoke also have two new e-bikes which the officers have already started using as part of their day-to-day proceedings.