Durham police are set to unveil the force’s new Honda ‘PoliceBlade’ this weekend at the annual Bikewise motorcycle road safety event (Sunday 8 August, 10.00am – 5.00pm) at the county’s police headquarters.
The Bikewise event is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is viewed by Durham police as an ideal way to interact with local riders and motorcycle clubs to promote safer riding and to help reduce casualties on the roads of Co. Durham.
"Honda has supported Bikewise from the very start," says Sgt. Bob Brown of Durham Constabulary. "This is the second Fireblade that they have helped us with and we also have an SP-1 sports bike. They act as a perfect ice-breaker and PR tool and we’ll have all three at Bikewise this weekend."
The Durham force has a dedicated motorcycle unit with nine officers and, in addition to the new ‘PoliceBlade’, the two-wheeled fleet is made up of Honda ST1100 and ST1300 machines.
"We’re Honda through and through," confirms Sgt. Brown, "and you can imagine that all the officers are fighting for the Blade keys at the moment; but that only shows we’re all bikers at heart. Just because we’re police officers, we’re not ‘out to get’ motorcyclists – we simply want to encourage safer riding and to help reduce casualties."
Mervyn Smith, corporate sales manager for Honda Motorcycles, is a big fan of Durham Constabulary. "It’s not just because they’re one of our best customers," he says, "it’s because of their unique approach to motorcycle safety."
He continues: "They would much rather talk to local riders about any bad riding habits than prosecute them and this stunning new ‘PoliceBlade’ is a perfect way to engage them in that kind of dialogue."
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