City police are looking to re-introduce bike and foot patrols.

Chief Scott Tod tells BayToday they understand the importance of being visible, not just in police cruisers but by ‘walking the beat’ and being on bikes too.

He says it’s been three summers since they had the bike patrols.

“It’s due to officer availability within the service and that’s either due to training, members away from work on injury and illness, and also the commitments that we have in regards to making our officers responding to calls for service of an urgent and emergent type,” he says.

Tod says the police board recently approved the hiring of four new officers.

“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,” he tells BayToday.

Tod says this summer they’ll work with Downtown North Bay on timing for the patrols.

Along with the downtown, other areas police will patrol include the Waterfront and Omischl Sports Complex.

Check out the full story on BayToday.ca

 

(File photo by station staff)

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