PEMBROKE — The Pembroke Detachment of the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP recently played host to an OPP three-day training course on the use of bicycles by police. The course was taught by qualified OPP bicycle instructors Sgt. Sabourin and Sgt. Kobylecki of the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP. Five officers, from the Upper Ottawa Valley and Renfrew OPP detachments, participated in the course and successfully completed the training.
Officers received instruction according to set standards which included both practical and theoretical components. Skill testing was conducted in a controlled environment on an obstacle course and in the field with both day and nighttime patrols. As part of their training, the students practised and received instruction on controlled dismounts and accessing their use of force options.
The newly trained officers will better position the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP to augment bicycle patrols in the detachment area including the streets, bike paths and parks in the Pembroke and Petawawa areas. Benefits of the environmentally friendly bike patrols include the officers having a community focus and being readily approachable, having access to locations that police cruisers cannot reach, and the ability to identify offences that may not be normally be observed from a police cruiser.
