A team of Protective Services Bike Officers (PSBO) will now bike patrol the Royal University Hospital (RUH) and the Regina General Hospital in Saskatoon and Regina, Canada.
According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), all PSBOs will receive intensive training, similar to that of law enforcement like police forces, which is developed by the international body, the Law Enforcement Bike Association (LEBA).
The SHA says that the new initiative is in response to safety incidents that have occurred on the grounds and parking lots of SHA facilities.
The Protective Services therefore launched the bike patrol to increase visibility and improve response times to safety issues.
The SHA highlights that with large areas to cover, bicycles provide a way for Protective Services Officers to be visible, which deters crime and allows them to respond quickly to incidents.
Both RUH and RGH are located close to other urban SHA facilities, so when operational numbers allow, PSBOs have the ability to deter criminal activity though uniform presence in and around SHA property outside of their base facility.
