Croatain police to get more mobile on two wheels.
As early as next week, the citizens of Zagreb will have the opportunity to see police officers on bicycles. The new project will first be introduced in Trešnjevka, Centre, Maksimir and Novi Zagreb city districts, reports Vecernji List on September 30, 2015.
“These police precincts are the largest in the city by area, so the bicycles will be of great use. In these city districts, there are recreation areas such as lakes Jarun and Bundek, Maksimir Park and Zrinjevac, which we have a hard time reaching in our patrols cars”, says the deputy chief of the Zagreb Police Department Dubravko Teur, adding that, in addition to easier access, the police officers will be able to quickly and efficiently respond to calls and have a better relationship with the citizens.
They are convinced that the citizens of Zagreb will respond positively to policemen on bicycles, since the feedback from Velika Gorica, Samobor, Zaprešić and Sveta Nedjelja, which have already implemented the project, are extremely positive. The bicycles were acquired by the City of Zagreb on a public tender, with the total cost of slightly less than 10,000 euros.
“In addition to bicycles, we have bought other equipment – helmets, gloves, locks, safety vests”, says Darinka Jug, from the City Office of Economy, who is the project manager for bicycle patrols in Zagreb. Each precinct will get two bicycles, and the mayor Milan Bandić announced that by Christmas all the police stations in the city will be covered.
“Officers were selected according to their own wishes and preferences. We hope that there will be even more of them so we can organize two shifts”, says Teur. One of the police officers is Vanja Čatalinac, who has been a policeman for 15 years. “Our duties will be more or less the same, but we will now perform them on bicycles. It will be easier for the people to approach us”, says Čatalinac.
The Zagreb Police Department says that in the first eight months of this year, no cyclists were killed in traffic accidents in the Zagreb area. The police recorded 1,200 traffic violations, of which 60 percent received official warnings.
