Even a policeman on a bike can be a deterrent against lawbreaking
January 4th, 2010 | 
buffalo2wheelerPedal patrolman's life has its share of knocks, scrapes
Even a policeman on a bike can be a deterrent against lawbreaking
Wichai Jitsatjawong does not mind taking a few knocks and bumps in the interests of fighting crime.
A bicycle patrolman from Thian Thalay police station in Bangkok, Pol Sr Sgt Maj Wichai has been known to chase criminals on his bike if they refuse his order to stop.
"I pedal my bike into their cars when they resist my order," said Pol Sr Sgt Maj Wichai, who cycles 30 kilometres a day on his patrol route between the station and Klong Pitayakorn school in Bang Khunthian district.
The bicycle, donated by a cycling club, has never been a hindrance to his work because he can squeeze into small and narrow alleyways which police motorcycles cannot reach.
The bicycle helps him reach the scene more quickly and, when occasion demands, can even be used to obstruct or slow criminal suspects who resist arrest.
Pol Sr Sgt Maj Wichai, 53, said his biggest reward, however, is making people happy.
"My reward is seeing people smile," he said.
A bicycle allows him to get closer to people, so now he would not be without one. He would like to patrol on his bicycle until the day he retires.
Pol Sr Sgt Maj Wichai turned to cycling on patrol after road workers built a cycle lane along Thian Thalay Road in 2008.
He puts the bicycle to diverse uses in his work, including patrolling, promoting energy conservation campaigns and keeping in good health.
"I suffer from heart disease. But since I started cycling, my health is much better," he said.
As a cycling patrolman, Pol Sr Sgt Maj Wichai encounters a few hazards of the trade.
He stops and tells a taxi driver to remove his car from the cycle lane or be given a ticket.
Flower pots and telephone booths can be difficult to negotiate, especially when he finds them in the middle of his cycle lane.
He is also worried that when he leaves his bicycle unguarded, it might be stolen. Some thieves, he said, might just be bold or silly enough to steal a policeman's bike.
"This is what worries me the most," he said. "I have to chain it up every time I leave it."
No, I don't read the Bangkok Post. When I started The Buffalo Bike Taxi Co. in 2005, I used Google to do research about the pedicab industry. (The term "pedicab" is what most people around the world use to refer to what I call a "bike taxi".) I set up a Google "news alert" that sends me an email whenever the terms "bike" and "taxi" come up in the same news article. It often sends me news stories that have nothing to do with pedal-powered vehicles. However, here's an article I read today that I think is a good one to share on this blog.
