The Chief Police Officer for the ACT has extended his thanks to Canberra’s residents for their cooperation and understanding over the past few days in which the President of the United States, Barack H. Obama, has been visiting the nation’s capital.
Air Force One, carrying POTUS, departed Fairbairn Airport in Canberra at 1.31pm today (Thursday, November 18) en route to Darwin.
During his short overnight stay in Canberra, the President gave an address to Parliament, visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Australian War Memorial, spoke with students and teachers at Campbell High School, and stopped off at the US Embassy.
CPO Roman Quaedvlieg expressed his gratitude to Canberrans for their patience and tolerance as local traffic was disrupted due to passage of the Presidential motorcade.
“We are aware that some people were inconvenienced by the security envelope which surrounds the President and his motorcade but we also need to keep in mind that Canberra was privileged to have a world leader visiting our national capital. Canberra is one of only two places visited by President Obama on this, his inaugural visit to Australia,” Assistant Commissioner Quaedvlieg said.
“This very successful visit was the culmination of an enormous planning, logistics and liaison effort behind the scenes, involving our ACT Policing officers, the AFP, the Department of Defence, and the US Secret Service. The efforts of many officers, such as the bomb response team and our traffic and route security members, go unheralded but are vital to ensure the safe and smooth passage of these high-profile guests to our city.”
“To all our members who made this happen, many thanks.”
Thanks to Stephen for the lovely photo sent in with this note:
The cyclist in the orange shirt was about to cross the intersection – in the middle of the Obama motorcade! He veers away at the last moment as a police officer cuts in front of him. That’s Obama in the car on the left.
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What’s Your opinion?
Police thank you for your patience with POTUS (except the cyclist in the orange shirt)
No, a Dutch soccer player.
From the orange I assume he is a Basqe separatist?
GO COMRADE!!!
creative_canberran said :
I can just imagine him crashing into the beast and the beast exploding as he rides away unharmed a-la South Park.
You have to say this is stupidity above and beyond the call of duty. Rather than a silly helmet with straws in it that seems to be the fashion item for cyclists, he should be made to wear a jester’s cap for the rest of the year. A jester’s cap trimmed with meat to attract magpies.
That’ll teach him.
I was near the airport watching Mr Obama go by. A bunch of pedestrians tried to cross just before the motorcade was coming through and they got promptly yelled at by the Polic. Some other people were standing too close to the road. Bloody pedestrians. Breaking the rules, not paying registration. I’m just so glad there are all those law abiding motorists out there to balance things out.
Scumbag cyclist, doesn’t even pay road tax, unlike that large black limo….. oh wait.
creative_canberran said :
Exactly.
What does he think this is, a free country or something?
creative_canberran said :
That might have made for a very effective warning for all kinds of selfish road-users who think the rules don’t apply to them.
Suicide bicyclist thwarted!!! Only in Canberra!
Police would have been perfectly within their rights to draw the weapons on this f-wit. Note the rather large bags hanging off the back of the bike. Could easily be packing explosives, or even paint bombs or something for a non-violent protest. He’s just damn lucky it was one of the AFP who got to him first. The limo is reportedly fitted with countermeasures and the folks in the 4WD behind the limo are packing machines guns. Had he actually veered into the path, one of those could have left him in a nasty way.
Cyclists too often = idiots. Really wish we would stop pandering to them and throwing away millions on paths for them.
Why do I keep thinking about that entry in the GWS Giants jersey competition showing bucketloads of money being flushed down the toilet?
It’s ok; the police officer is running over to taze him.
Holden Caulfield said :
Cyclists breaking the road rules in Canberra?
Never.
Bloody cyclists! Looks like he may have been running a red light too, haha. Brownie points for wearing hi-vis attire though.