North Bay Police Chief Scott Tod says the North Bay Police Service is planning to re-introduce bike and foot patrols in the downtown area of North Bay this summer.
"We understand the importance of being visible within our community, not just in our cars but by walking the beat as we call it as well as our bicycle patrols," Tod told BayToday.
"We have not had a full-time bicycle patrol in three summers and that is due to officer availability within the service and that is either due to training - members away from work on injury or illness, and also the commitments that we have in regards to our officers responding to calls for service of an urgent type."
But Tod hopes that staffing issues will not hinder the ability of the service to re-introduce the program.
The North Bay Police Board has approved the hiring of four new officers this year in its most recent budget, should give them the manpower to be able to utilize the service.
"We are hoping once those four officers are hired and that is a one-year project and because of the Ontario Police College and getting people hired, that we would be able to have some staff available to do bicycle patrol and foot patrol in the downtown core," said Tod.
Tod says foot and bike patrols are usually very well received by the public.
"I do know whenever we have deployed the bicycle patrols we receive nothing but compliments from the public in regards to having the officers out on the bikes," said Tod.
"It is not just the downtown but also the waterfront, the Kate Pace Way, Omischl Park, all the areas in which the public gather, the bicycle patrols would provide a great opportunity for the service to be visible to the public."
