Police in the Orana Mid-Western district are going “back to the future”, utilising new ways of catching crooks.
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Starting in early June, there’ll be bike squads tackling crime across the district.
Orana Mid-Western Police District commander Superintendent Peter McKenna said the bike squad, made up of volunteer officers across different ranks, was another tool in the toolbox.
“The main idea of bike squads is a bit like beat policing. It’s about engaging with the community, letting people know the police are out there. Generally speaking the community love to see the police, they like to see us, not just driving past in a truck at 60 kilometres an hour, they like to see us in a position where we can stop and talk and engage people,” he said.
“That anti-social element might find that this is another type of policing that’s going to come their way as well.”
As well as being highly visible, Superintendent McKenna said the bike squad would be able to get around places where the police trucks might not be able to go, such as in alleyways. They could also be more covert when needed.
There will be 16 members in the squad who will cover the entire police district, however, only smaller units will be deployed at one time.
“It’s a bit like going back to the future with the old-fashioned style of policing that we’re utilising at the moment which is being out there, looking after the good people and taking on the criminal element, being proactive and not waiting for that phone to ring that something’s happening, but being out there and stopping people who are up to no good, in those suspicious circumstances, stopping them, disrupting them. And it’s working,” Superintendent McKenna said.
Having a bike squad was something the district had wanted for a long time, Superintendent McKenna said, and at this stage the community feedback had been “nothing short of fantastic”.
On Thursday the squad began training in Dubbo to ensure their fitness and skills were up to scratch. They were also taught to ride in a range of conditions, while ensuing they were staying safe.