In Oxford, I’ve noticed a big increase in the number of police patrolling Oxford on mountain bikes. The police have found that bikes are an excellent way of patrolling busy streets, especially in the evening. Bikes can cover much more ground than a bobby on the beat, but, they also offer greater flexibility than a car.
But, generally police on bikes is a good thing. People like to see a visible presence of police (even if they don’t have a huge effect in reducing crime). Also, if the police are used to cycling on roads it might make them more sympathetic to the dangers faced by the everyday cyclist.
After taking the photo at the top. One of the policemen came over and asked quite aggressively why I was taking photos. I said I like taking photos of people on bikes. He didn’t accept this but asked whether they were for the Oxford Mail. I don’t know why they were so worried, it’s not as if they were doing anything wrong. He did say, at one point ‘It’s not illegal to take photos of police, but, I want to ask why you are doing it.’
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