Police motorcycles

Daily I am approached by members of the community expressing their surprise when seeing a Police motorcycle patrolling the streets.

And this surprise is understandable considering there are just five Police officers who ride Police motorcycles in the South Island, it’s a big place after all.

After the Police merger with MOT in 1992, Police disestablished the use of operational motorcycles.

However, in the early 2000s they were reintroduced to assist with a Royal visit and the associated motorcade.

They have remained since, and these days Police have 25 operational motorcycles with the majority located in Auckland and the remainder in Wellington and Christchurch.

March 2019 – Note flags at half mast following attacks on Christchurch Mosques.

Except for two national trainers, motorcycles are attached to Road Policing workgroups.

Their unique size, abilities and turning attributes make them very efficient at monitoring traffic and responding to incidents or offending particularly in built up areas.

They also play a vital part in facilitating and ensuring the security of motorcades for VIP’s visiting New Zealand.

To ride a Police motorcycle, officers must pass a two-week qualification course which is challenging and pushes most seasoned riders well beyond what they are accustomed to.

Emphasis is placed on international best practice riding theory, executing tight turns, and having quick reactions all whilst pushing a machine to its limits, safely.

After passing this course, riders are subject to annual recertification testing, which is held over two days to remain proficient.

Over the last decade, police have utilised BMW RT1200P and Honda ST1300 motorcycles and currently have a contract with Yamaha who supply FJR1300 and MT09 motorcycles, the latter being the most common operational bike nationwide.

Safety, emissions, and operational effectiveness are priorities balanced with cost, ensuring the most appropriate machines are used in the fleet.

Over the last 12 months, police have been trialling two plain motorcycles to identify benefits or issues that will help dictate whether they are introduced as a standard part of the national fleet in the future.

When working officers must wear both protective motorcycle clothing as well as operational police uniform including standard equipment.

This is cumbersome, hot, and heavy but necessary to ensure officers are protected and equipped to carry out their role, which is varied like any front-line police role.

While motorcycles today have a lot more safety equipment than bikes of yesteryear, they can also be very powerful, and the human body simply can’t negate physics.

A sobering statistic with all NZ motorcycle riders is they are up to 21 times more likely to be injured or killed in a crash compared to a car driver.

Training, upskilling and being constantly aware of hazards with a risk avoidance mindset, is the best way to minimise this risk. Frankly, this is how all motorcycle riders should operate and Ppolice strongly encourages public riders to attend regular training.

ACC offers Ride Forever courses throughout the country, which are subsidised and only cost $20 or $50, a great investment or even the perfect present for someone that you love and rides motorcycles.

Lachy Garrick Sergeant Christchurch Motorcycle Squad

Southern Resurfacing