The Fortitude Valley Police Bike Squad is ramping up its pedal-power after taking delivery of a new fleet of bicycles.
Ten new ‘Merida Big 9’ bikes have been added to the Valley Police Bike Squad fleet.
The new bikes are the latest spec and provide a more durable and agile asset to the Valley Bike Squad.
The bikes are lighter in weight (in comparison to the old bikes) and have 29 inch wheels – making it easier for the Bike Squad riders to navigate obstacles in urban and off-road environments.
For the first time the fleet has moved away from the traditional white frame bikes to a gun metal grey finish with reduced decals for a cleaner, more uniform appearance.
Police Minister Mark Ryan joined Assistant Commissioner Brian Swan to unveil the new fleet of bikes.
“The Queensland Police Service has adopted a modern policing philosophy based on agility and mobility.
“The whole aim is for people in the community to see more police out and about more often, and this new fleet of the latest spec bicycles supports that objective.
“Police tell me that the bike squad has a proven capability to provide a rapid response to incidents and calls for assistance within the Safe Night Precinct on Friday and Saturday nights when vehicular and pedestrian traffic pose particular challenges.
“This is another way police go about their primary objective of supporting community safety.
“This investment is part of a record police budget that is supporting the delivery of more than 2,000 extra police personnel, 12,200 new integrated, load-bearing ballistic vests, 5,000 additional QLiTE iPads, 4,500 additional body-worn video cameras to bring the fleet to 12,200, and 250 additional police patrol vehicles.”
Assistant Commissioner Brian Swan said the Fortitude Valley Bike Squad played a critical role in inner-city policing.
“The mobility of the unit is tremendous and it is frequently tasked to large scale protests in the CBD.
“In addition, the capability of the bikes also allows access to areas not generally available to general duties police like bikeways and bushland.
“This means an exceptional ability to assist in policing responses to incidents such as missing person searches in off-road terrain.
“It’s become clear that the Bike Squad has been well received by the public as it provides a highly visible police presence in pedestrian areas where police vehicles can’t go.
“Our Bike Squad officers often engage members of the community in general conversation during the course of their patrols, which is a very positive way to reassure the public that police are there to support them with a high visibility presence.”
