Each officer is equipped with their own personal bike and cycle-specific police uniform. The bikes are all fitted with blue lights, white lights and a siren alongside a rack-top bag for equipment.

PC Helen Williams descends some steep concrete steps as part of the cycle control training.

The cycling police officers are trained to cycle down stairs so they can continue to follow suspects or attend an emergency scene sooner. This photograph shows PC Steve Harvey racing down steps as if it was a smooth slope.

The police officers of York’s Community Cycle Unit are joined by the 4 ambulance service emergency cyclists that they will work alongside in York and the surrounding areas.

Two of the cycle unit officers use their white lights, blue flashing lights and sirens to warm the public of their presence as they simulate an emergency response.

Watch a video of this vehicle in action!

North Yorkshire Police Sergeant Nigel Tottie is concentrating on carrying out slow-speed tight turns around road cones. This is part of a demonstration of advanced cycling skills around an obstacle course as part of a national emergency service cyclist’s seminar.

Another police officer mounts a see-saw at speed at another part of the course.

TENYAS paramedic Paul Brown carefully negotiates a pile of wooden pallets.

Many of the emergency cyclists that attended this seminar brought their bikes along to compare and contrast models and equipment. This example is used by West Midlands Police. It has a high-visibility cover for the bag, a white and a blue light and siren.

This white cycle is used by the City of London Police. The inset shows a close up view of the emergency warning equipment. Two white lights can be used at night, or the blue covers lowered to show blue light for emergency responses. The siren is mounted below these lights.

This Gazelle police bike is one of many used in Selby and York for community police officers. Small yellow panniers on both sides are marked ‘police’. It has no blue lights or siren.

This police cycle is not strictly an UK emergency vehicle, but was in the UK! It is one of the cycles used by San Antonio Police Department in Texas, USA. It has blue and red flashing lights, a bell and a siren. Interestingly, American cycles have the brakes the opposite way around to UK cycles.

The rider of the above cycle is Officer TJ Richardson. He can be seen here talking about emergency response cycling at the cycling seminar. Two Northumbria Police officers listen intently.

Officer TJ Richardson is also the president of IPMBA, the International Police Mountain Biking Association. He travels the globe giving lectures and practical exercises in using cycles for police work, drawing on the experiences of police officers worldwide. Here he is discussing such matters with North Yorkshire Police’s Chief Constable Della Cannings.

The very first emergency cyclist’s seminar in the UK was very well attended. This is almost all of the participants posing amongst their cycles. Paramedics Tom Lynch (LAS), Mark Inman and Paul Brown (TENYAS) attended, along with Glen Towers (WYMAS). Officer TJ Richardson (SAPD, Texas), Nigel Tottie and Steve Harvey (North Yorks.) are in the foreground. Also present are police officers from Northumbria police, West Midlands Police and other constabularies. Two members of HM Coastguard can also be seen in the centre of the back row. They have been trialing the use of cycles to access remote costal areas by path.

A cycling police constable compares his bike to a traffic constable’s Honda ST1100 bike.

An Australian police officer joined York’s cycling police officers on 10 and 11 June 2003. He was touring the cycle police officers of the world, discussing best practice and sharing ideas. From left to right is Sgt. Nigel Tottie, Senior Constable Mick Shaw and PC Steve Harvey.

This demonstration police cycle is a Santa Cruz model. It is equipped with front suspension and even carries battenburg markings on the frame.

Police and ambulance cyclists pose for a photograph during an emergency service cyclists training course in November 2004.

An odd sight: a police officer in a ‘red man’ protective suit on a police cycle. This formed part of a demonstration of cycle patrol techniques at the Emergency Services Cycle Seminar at York’s Knavesmire in June 2004.

Here we see Inspector Nigel Tottie (in the red man outfit) having a staged fight with Mark Cockram from the City of London Police. Mark explains that when using his police bike in this way to defend himself from a knife-wielding suspect the brakes should be off so that the suspect cannot get a good grip of the bike. A discarded asp (retractable police baton) lies discarded.

This is a KiT (Kreative innovative Technology) City Patrol Vehicle (CPV) sample police cycle.

This is a KIT Santa Cruz sample blue police cycle.

This is a KiT Town Patrol Vehicle sample. This ‘budget’ cycle is built in Lancashire by Concept Cycles.

This is Community Support Officer (CSO) Shane Jenkins with his police cycle. He was the first CSO in the country to be permanently assigned to a cycle unit.

This is a Pashley KiT police cycle with ‘police’ wording and blue and yellow checker markings on the frame. It also carries the Crimestoppers telephone number (inset shows close up), but unfortunately the numbers have been transposed. It should read 0800 555 111. Even the professionals get it wrong sometimes!

Another City Patrol Cycle from KiT. This example features an octagonal alloy frame and a high-mounted pannier mount.

This is a Smith & Wesson police cycle demonstrator.

A close up look at the emergency warning equipment on the front of the Smith & Wesson ‘Urban Pursuit Vehicle’. The siren and blue and white lights bare an uncanny resemblance to 1980s film ‘Short Circuit’ star Johnny Five (see inset).

An Avon and Somerset police officer directs traffic as his cycle is parked on the pavement.