Elsene will soon have police officers on bicycles

The Brussels Police Zone will soon have a new cycling unit. By the summer there will also be bicycle patrols in Elsene. In the center, they were introduced a while ago. and it's a success. That is why these patrols will be expanded.

Everyone has already seen them riding downtown: The police cycle unit. There will also be one in Elsene. The town wants 6 officers on bikes as of July

These policemen or women, since we want a mixed team, will pedal away, but will mostly keep the peace and quiet, and look out for incivilities which are too common in Elsene. They're expected to reassure the citizens. On a bike, you can easily talk to people on the streets. Proximity and accessibility are the main issues.

The cyclists must strengthen the link between the police and citizens. The advantage is that they're more accessible. They're also quickly on site. It's not always easy to get somewhere in town. By bike, they will get places quickly. It's very important.

Our motto is to serve the people, preferably as efficiently and as quickly as possible. We are not in a glass or an iron cage. People can talk to us more easily than officers in police cars.

Steve patrolled for 20 years in a van. But for the past year, he's been in the cycling brigade in the city center. You must love doing that. In private, I also ride a bicycle. But I guess there are people who are not too keen on the idea of patrolling a whole day on a bike. We carry out the same tasks as the officers in the cars.

Cyclists will tackle nuisances, such as incivilities and parking violations.

The Elsene cycling brigade will begin with 6 officers. There should be 12 in the long term.