Sudbury police begin using fat bikes
Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) introduced a new program designed to increase safety and accessibility to officers in the downtown.
Community response officers have been utilizing fat bikes for the past two weeks, since it began to snow. These bikes are designed with thick tires to handle inclement winter weather like snow and ice.
“We got two fat bikes for our unit and that’ll allow us to continue our focus patrols in the downtown area,” said Constable Dale Bailey.
“Specifically, the businesses, the laneways, the alleys, areas that a cruiser isn’t easily accessed.”GSPS Constable Dale Bailey shows CTV News one of the force's new fat bikes. (Amanda Hicks/CTV News Northern Ontario)This is the first time Sudbury police have been able to expand their bike program to make it a year-round initiative.
Bailey told CTV News community response inspired the project.
“The need has been brought upon by the community and by the businesses in the downtown specifically,” Bailey said.
“There’s a need for a greater police presence. It allows us to be accessible in the community, in the downtown, very visible. It’s a great opportunity to engage with community members and businesses.”
Kyle Marcus from Downtown Sudbury said he believes there’s more benefits than negatives to this initiative.
“This is a great way for the GSPS to incorporate themselves into the community and really show they’re active, that they’re supporting,” Marcus said.
He added that an officer on a bike is a more calming presence.
“There’s more benefits than problems. I think what we’ll see is more community,” said Marcus.
He also told CTV News that he feels that increased police presence might provide comfort to people who don’t come downtown regularly.
“I would argue our members and businesses already feel safe, and what it might do is lend a little bit of opportunity to those who don’t come down here, and don’t educate themselves on what it’s actually like down here,” Marcus said.
He added that downtown is a hub of small businesses looking for support.
Officials with GSPS said they hope the program deters crime and increases safety.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.