Dear VicPD: It isn’t what you ride
Back in the old days, police rode their large North American-built motorcycles. The fierce snowstorms, typical of Canadian winters, didn't stop most of us old guys — the RCMP put chains on their Harleys and continued to patrol. While many police services have fascinating histories, NYPD and others have set the tone for many police agencies who have traditionally maintained a strict paramilitary bearing and professional approach to undergo a major rethink.
The approaches of the past were based on presenting an image that commanded authority. The savings created by adjusting the perceived image and the associated “toys”, has allowed many police services to hire more police officers. It is the police officers that serve the public, not the vehicles, which only transport.
The 2012 Yamaha TMAX is a high performance, extremely fuel efficient 530cc ride that is half the cost to purchase, maintain and fuel (as compared to the VicPD choice), and is perfectly suited for serving the city. Even better, it is sold locally at SG Power.
The traditional “Zero Tolerance” practices: hard appearance, aggressive muscle cars, motorcycles, and attitudes, are being replaced by a “Community Policing” approach that not only saves on the cost to deliver the service, but also the cost to the community's wellbeing.
William Perry
Victoria, BC