Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Essex Police and Yorkshire Ambulance bike squads fall victim to budget cuts

Cycling paramedics to disappear in three Yorkshire cities; Essex Police say officers on bikes will be back for key events

Essex Police is to disband its dedicated bike squad in Southend just 18 months after it was set up as part of a sweeping overhaul of its operations designed to save £41 million over the next four years. The news follows the revelation that paramedics on bikes have been withdrawn from three cities in Yorkshire following a review by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

Like their paramadeic counterparts in Yorkshire, the advantage of a permanent squad of police officers being deployed on bikes was seen to lie in their ability to quickly respond to situations, without getting held up in traffic.

Roger Watson, vice chairman of Essex Police Federation, told local newspaper The Echo: “They can get through Southend quite quickly when traffic is snarled up, and they can get to scenes quicker. But it’s going to be subject to the cuts.”

The bike squad, or “advanced cycle team” as it is properly termed, was instituted in February 2010 and made 177 arrests in its first year, with officers wearing video cameras to help record evidence. Its operations helped lead to the closure of four cannabis factories.

The officers will now be allocated to other duties, however, Superintendent Jon Dodman of the south eastern division of Essex Police, insisted: “Officers deployed on cycles remain a tactical option, as they always have been."

He added that bike officers would be on duty at key events such as the London 2012 Olympics mountain bike event at Hadleigh Park Farm.

“On a day-to-day basis, senior officers now need to decide the most practical and efficient use of its limited resources, including the deployment of officers in vehicles, on foot and on bicycles,” he added.

Meanwhile, The Yorkshire Post reports that cycling paramedics are to disappear from the streets of Sheffield, Leeds and Hull, with staff being redeployed by Yorkshire Ambulance Service to rapid response vehicles and ambulances.

The service, first launched in York ten years ago and called Lifecycle, will continue to operate for now in that city as well as in Harrogate. It uses mountain bikes adapted to carry £5,000 of medical kit.

Vince Larvin, Assistant Director of A&E Operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, told the newspaper: “Our priority is to respond to all emergency calls as quickly as possible and, in view of the growing and changing demand for our 999 service, we are constantly reviewing how we make use of our staff to ensure that our resources are utilised effectively.

“We are currently operating additional rapid response vehicles in the cities instead of the cycle response units to help us meet current demand more closely and ensure our patients receive the best possible care.

“The decision to take these resources out of operation is not a permanent one and shifts in patient demand will see them return as appropriate.”

A spokesman for Unison, the health service, commented that he hoped the suspension of the service would be temporary but said that Yorkshire Ambulance Service should have consulted staff and unions.

“They are not talking to us and members do not know why this is happening. It is causing confusion and we don’t agree with it,” he stated.

We have asked Yorkshire Ambulance Service to outline the specific operational factors behind their decision but are yet to hear back from them.
 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

3 comments

Avatar
shaun finnis | 12 years ago
0 likes

I was only talking to a recently introduced cycle ambulance service in Plymouth Devon. The paramedic was singing it's praises and around town what a fantastic way of getting much needed emergency equipment to the patient quickly and through narrow restrictive streets. I think the cycle with a fit rider in inner cities could surely in certain situations save lives. This must be a benefit to both patient and NHS billing? As regards the police cyclists I believe Plymouth trialled it a few years ago but haven't been seen since, when you see a horse mounted officer you don't miss it they stand out like a sore thumb just like the officers round town on cycles in their hi-viz kit more noticeable than a bobby on the beat and I'm sure the petty criminal thinks twice about pinching if they know there could be a chase on with a form of transport that could easily take out a runner! Personally I think car drivers should by law be made to pay a fine for not knowing how to indicate and drive properly and the payments could go towards funding more cycles in the forces. I'm sure my last comment may fuel a debate lol...

Avatar
Tony Farrelly | 12 years ago
0 likes

Totally agree mad_scot_rider isn't the major plus of putting police and ambulance crews on bikes in urban areas always cited as being that they can get to more places faster than a car. Indeed I stand to be corrected but didn't the Met resort to cops on bikes to monitor and keep up with the fast moving groups of rioters, also on bikes, in London last week?

Avatar
mad_scot_rider | 12 years ago
0 likes

Rather weird

I would have expected that:-

a) both Police & Ambulance services could operate fast response units in city locations faster & cheaper by bike

b) any commitment to retain the capability for later use will result in continued training of staff and updating/maintenance of equipment - costing money but currently achieving nothing

All in all an odd pair of decisions to my mind

Latest Comments