Prisoners in pods: Mounties in Manitoba's north use egg-shaped off-road carriers

RCMP in northern Manitoba have a new way to transport prisoners and patients off-road.

With four wheels that can be changed into skis, a heated seat and a bright red light, the RCMP's two new off-road vehicle transport pods resemble child carriers that are pulled behind bicycles — only much larger and with the ability to keep prisoners secured.

"We're able to help people that are, you know, off the beaten trail, so to speak," said The Pas RCMP Sgt. Brent Mattice.

The pods are a first for Mounties in The Pas and Thompson, Man.

They made their debut last week at the Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival, Mattice said, and are for use at remote crime scenes and during rescue missions and storms.

"I never thought I'd see something like that," said The Pas Mayor Jim Scott.

The pods have caught people's attention in town, he said.

"There's a lot of outdoor activity that takes place out here, and whenever there's activity, there's sometimes problems," Scott said.

"Some people get in lots of trouble, like they'll be stuck out in the bush in their snow machine, and it gets pretty cold."

Mattice said the Mounties bought the pods after seeing paramedics in The Pas with a Snowbulance, which is what Mounties' pods essentially are.

A Snowbulance is an enclosed unit that can be pulled by a snowmobile or quad. The only difference between it and the police pods is that it's used to transport medical patients, not prisoners.

Mattice said up until now, police and emergency crews had to use an open sleigh to transport patients during calls in remote areas that officers would attend on quads.

The pods haven't been used in Manitoba yet, Mattice said, and he doesn't know whether police will send the pods to other areas of the province.