My local police force has bikes. According to one of the officers I'd asked a while back, the point of bikes isn't really top speed pursuit. Some stuff I remember him saying:
1) A PR thing - people seem to like to see police on bikes and they appear more accessible when they're not in motion.
2) Accessibility - bike cops can patrol places cars can't really fit. Evidently this decreased crime in a number of hot spots as a result (a foot path and an alley way).
3) Quiet - On at least one occasion, the police were able to drift right up on top of some suspects without them noticing and affect an arrest (they do train take-downs from the saddle).
4) Recon - easy to stop in odd spots and watch, easier to keep an eye around themselves than in a car.
Last edited by MEversbergII; 06-12-19 at 08:13 AM.