Disinterested cops ‘puncture’ bicycle patrolling concept

Even as a review done by the city police about the use of bicycle by cops for patrolling revealed that only 10 cycles remain unused out of the 250 given to the force, sources in the department told DT Next that the station heads had given a wrong picture to the higher-ups. 

“During the initial days, these cycles were used for patrolling by-lanes during evening hours. Soon the policemen found the exercise exhausting and stopped using them. Most of the cops are not interested to use the cycles,” a city police official told this paper. A number of personnel, after few days of patrolling say that they could not manage pedalling the bicycles and ran out of stamina. “We have got used to bike or jeep. So we find it difficult to switch over to cycle,” a police constable said. In fact, the idea when conceived was aimed at two benefits, one interior patrolling to check crime rate and two the health benefits of using bicycles. 

“More than patrolling, it was introduced as a means to improve the health of our personnel. Health problems are aplenty among policemen and they hardly do any exercise. So cycling could have improved their general health,” a senior police official said. “It is true that it is a healthy exercise. But, when it comes to quick action, bicycles won’t help in our work. So, in the present day the bicycle patrolling cannot be an effective measure,” opines another policeman.