Police fly low on new Hawk bikes

Sixty custom-built NSW Police Force bicycles will hit the street this month, just in time for World Youth Day.
The ‘Hawk’ mountain bike was officially launched at Homebush by NSW Police Minister David Campbell and Corporate Spokesperson for the NSW Police Bicycle Patrol Unit, Superintendent Greg Rolph, with a number of the bicycles put through their paces on the stairs.
It is the only Australian bicycle designed specifically for operational policing and was developed by the NSW Police Force Bicycle Training and Coordination Unit and produced by Hillbrick Bikes, an Australian-owned company.
Superintendent Greg Rolph said the development and production of the ‘Hawk’ mountain bike would see the NSW Police Force maintain its international standing as a forerunner in bicycle policing.
‘Proactive policing by bicycle patrols plays an important part in crime reduction and our training has been recognised internationally as ‘World’s Best Practice’ with aspects of our program being adopted by police forces from around the world,’ Supt Rolph said.
‘But with officers spending up to 40 hours a week on the street on these bikes, the standard recreational models used by police have not been able to keep up with our operational demands. These new bikes, however, have been specially-designed for police use by police officers. They have reinforced frames and rims, as well as heavy duty tyres and accessories, and can be used on almost any terrain.”
The rider position has been designed to allow police to adopt a more upright riding position, more suited to performing policing on a bike, he said.