West Shore RCMP held a press conference at the Langford detachment to share the successes they’ve had with their bike unit.
The bike unit started on July 3 and since then has had more than 30 arrests. The bike unit currently consists of two officers, and two more will be joining the unit soon.
READ MORE: West Shore RCMP bike patrol unit makes 30 arrests
West Shore RCMP Const. Nancy Saggar said many of the arrests were made on the Galloping Goose Regional Trail. The bike unit is able to reach secluded trails that vehicles cannot access, noting that bike patrol is also less obvious than vehicle patrol.
“It’s less obvious and I think less intimidating,” Saggar said. “I think members of the public are able to approach officers on a bike probably easier, if you call out our name and you happen to see a police officer on a bike, it’s a lot easier to stop rather than in a vehicle and you’re trying to wave them down so that’s definitely contributed to it [the success].”
Saggar said the bike units haven’t made any arrests in regards to indecent acts on the trail, but patrols were able to get to those areas quicker and help with those investigations easier than vehicle patrol or on foot.