Kolkata: Kolkata Police, which has so far relied on the trusty Royal Enfield, are now adding Harley Davidson to their fleet. The bikes will be customized for the use of the police force and will mostly be used for ceremonial purposes. They will be the second police force to receive Harleys. Back in 2015, Gujarat Police had added Harley motorcycles to its fleet.
For starters, Kolkata Police have bought five Harley Davidsons Street 750s. The bikes will only be able to seat one rider as it has been fitted with pillion seat cowls. Saddlebags, flashers and sirens have also been added. They’ve also been given new graphics and stickers as well as a Kolkata Police emblem on the windscreen and will have built-in radios to communicate with the control room.
Solomon Nesakumar, DCP Traffic and himself an avid biker, said the reason for the addition is that the Harleys are a lot faster. While the Royal Enfield goes from 0-100 kph in 16 seconds, the 750 can do it in about 6.17 seconds.
“We have bought five ‘Harley Davidsons Street 750’ for ceremonial and piloting purpose. On Tuesday, during Independence Day’s ceremonial parade, we exhibited them for the first time on Red Road in Kolkata,” he said.
The DCP said that all the bikes have been stationed at the police headquarters at Lalbazaar. “We bought it because we need to update our infrastructure in this fast changing global scenario. All bikes are customized as per our requirement,” he said.
Kolkata Commissioner of Police, Rajeev Kumar said, “This is a welcome move from our department and in future there are other plans to improve our infrastructure to serve people with utmost care. Initially we have decided to use these bikes for VIP patrolling and ceremonial purpose.”
