Help is at hand for police cyclists in the shape of hundreds of pages of advice including guidance on what they should eat and wear.
Humberside officers, before going out on cycle patrol, must consider a five page risk assessment in which they are required to analyse the risk of injury from airborne particles and insects.
Of "low" risk, but still to be considered, is the possibility that officers might suffer nerve damage from vibrations on their handlebars.
One dossier, from Essex Police, even reveals that officers on bicycles are banned from pursuing suspects unless they have been on an "advanced" cycling course.
Even then, they must conduct a "dynamic risk assessment" in which they must evaluate whether the decision to chase could breach the suspect's human rights – by endangering their safety – as well as consider nine other factors, including the weather.
The same document states that if undercover officers want to ride without a helmet to avoid arousing suspicion, a supervisor must first carry out a risk assessment.
