Two views of a silver Met BMW K 1200 GT motorbike, with hotchpotch battenburg markings.

Y657 PMX A very familiar sight on London’s roads in the early 2000’s is the Ford Fiesta panda car. Here is an unusually dirty example, blamed on the snowy weather.

W552 UGW Another very familiar panda car is the Vauxhall Astra.

LV52 NXR A traditional white BMW R 1150 RT motorbike is mounted by a female police outrider.



The rear view of the same bike.

W348 UGW is a Met Omega in a battenburg colour scheme. Battenburg markings are used primarily on police vehicles that may need to stop on a fast-moving road. They have been proven to be noticeable from a greater distance than just a stripe.



The rear view of the same Vauxhall Omega.

N96 OUW Two shots of a 1996 Metropolitan Police Mercedes-Benz T1 truck. Notice the twin blue light roof bars, the retractable armour and the ‘old’ Met Police logo (without the ‘Working for a Safer London’ statement).

A silver BMW 5-series Touring armed response unit from the Met.

YA02 CDK is a North Yorks. Police Vauxhall Vectra training vehicle. It is not fitted with any emergency warning equipment, but does have a white bonnet, battenburg markings on the sides and reflective striping on the rear. Inset: rear view.

YG02 EYY This is a Nissan Terrano 4×4 police vehicle.



The rear view. Note that the ‘crimestoppers’ advert has been placed on the spare wheel cover, as there is little space for the standard body-livery adverts that are seen on the rear of all North Yorkshire police vehicles.

Here are a pair of 03-registration Avon and Somerset Skoda Octavia vRS’s used in the Bristol and Bath areas. Skodas are well accepted within police forces around the country because of their excellent combination of performance, reliability and value for money. For (the public price of) £15,000 you get a 180bhp 1.8 litre engine and a 8-second 0-60 time as it zooms towards its top speed of 146mph.

PCZ 4361 This is a PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) MG ZT saloon. The silver body colour is replacing white on some cars in some police forces to increase the sell-on value of the vehicle after its police life. The PSNI replaced the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) as part of the Northern Ireland peace process in 2001.

KXI 9405 This is a heavily armoured PSNI Landrover. It is liveried with battenburg stripe and has bullet-proof windows. It also has grilles over all the front lights and roof lights, as well as the windscreen and below the registration plate to protest the officers in dangerous situations.

This is a V-registration BMW police motorbike from Dorset Police.

This is a Honda Goldwing police bike. It was one of a number of ‘liveried’ motorcycles that Honda supply to the police for the NW200 in Northern Ireland. It may well be exactly the same vehicle that Durham Constabulary were using in 2000

R191 PKH is Humberside Police’s awesome Subaru Impreza. Upgraded by Subaru specialists Prodrive, this four wheel drive, turbocharged car is highly suited to chasing cars. The suspension has been upgraded so that it can take speed humps at 70 miles per hour, and it has lightening quick acceleration and incredible road-holding. These factors mean that when a suspect car drives flat out through a red traffic light, the police can slow down, negotiate the junction at a safe speed and accelerate to catch up with the suspect with relative ease.



The side shot of the car. Notice the spoiler and gold alloy wheels. This car has a top speed of 150 mph and can get to 60 mph from a standing start in 5 seconds. This ‘pursuit car’ was bought for its performance and because it stands out, almost acting as a crime deterrent.



The rear view. This was the first Subaru Impreza police vehicle to be used in the UK. It replaced the Ford Escort Cosworth in Humberside and its police life lasted from 1998 until 2001.

AJ51 VLX This is a green Ford Mondeo from North Yorkshire Police. It has been used as an ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) car by the road policing group and was used for covert work before its battenburg livery was added. It has blue strobes hidden behind the front grille.

The side-on shot showing the conspicuity of its livery.

YJ53 EKV This is a NYP firearms unit. Based on a Ford Iveco Cargo cab, the rear is used as a briefing area, armoury and communications office for prolonged or pro-active firearms operations.

NU52 LNR is one of Cleveland Police’s Volvo S60s.

VN52 GHY This is a Vauxhall Astravan police support unit belonging to North Yorks. Police. It is not fitted with blue lights and is used primarily for non-urgent movement of equipment. It is liveried to increase police presence.

R313 TRH is a very odd vehicle: a Humberside Police community safety Proton Persona. This yellow / green car has been tastelessly liveried with sponsor’s advertising, diagrams and boasts about the benefits of running on LPG.



The rear view, showing more of the livery.

YJ53 EMV This is one of a number of large vans and trucks that North Yorkshire Police bought in November 2003. It is a Ford Iveco 55C15 and is used for prisoner transportation.



The rear view of the same van, showing the livery and tinted windows for the prisoners. Typically the vehicle would be used at large events (for example football matches) to contain arrested persons before their journey to the custody suite.



Inside there are three cells on each side of the corridor. There are access doors at the rear (shown) and on the nearside. Opposite the nearside entrance is a regular seat for the officer in charge of the cells. Super-secure multi-point locks and super-strong doors and walls make it all but impossible for a prisoner to escape.



Each cell is furnished with a plastic seat and a darkened window, but ironically no seat belt for safety reasons. The seat is integrated into the wall so that it can’t be removed and used as a ram or weapon and this set-up also allows easier cleaning of the cells.

R301 DEU This is Avon and Somerset Constabulary’s command unit. Built on a Mercedes truck chassis, the trailer body has an expanding section on both sides to increase internal space.

P672 XAG is a Ford Iveco Cargo Forensic Service Unit. It is used as a mobile laboratory and base for forensic investigators. Here we see the white coverall-clad forensic officers taking a tea break at a major crime scene.



A closer look at the vehicle, including a web of ‘crime scene’ tape.

X752 NWR is a North Yorkshire Police Subaru Impreza. This is one of a small fleet of 8 that NYP have for traffic police use. It is the Prodrive-tuned World Rally version giving it a 4.6 second 0-60 mph time and a top speed of 152 mph.



The side-on shot of the same car. In 2000, NYP replaced their Ford Cosworths with Imprezas as they are more suited to the twisting roads of the moors. The two lamps at the front, instead of fog lamps, give an extra 30 mph on unlit roads as you can see much further. The only disadvantage of this car is the reduced load carrying space for all of the equipment traffic policing vehicles need to carry.



This mean-looking car has all of the additional body equipment, including tail fin, skirting and bonnet air intake. Taking into account top speed, handling, stability, acceleration and cornering, the Impreza is the fastest police car in the UK..

NK03 NUP is Northumbria Police’s Harley Davidson motorbike. This unique vehicle was used during Summer 2003 for police duties, including escorting the runners of the Great North Run.



The rear view, showing the length and styling of the motorbike.

NK03 PLJ is a Mercedes Benz armed response vehicle. This estate car is fitted with bullet proof glass and a small armoury between the rear seats.



The rear view.

NK03 PPU is a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser. This police car was only on loan to Durham Constabulary in 2003, and is hence decked out in minimal livery, some current advertising and temporary blue roof lights.



The rear view. Introduced in July 2000, this striking vehicle has been described as a cross between a retro hotrod and a people carrier.



The side view of this unique car.

S854 KCU has been put out to clover as the short but hard life of police traffic cars demands.

R160 PNL is Durham Constabulary’s Ford Iveco Cargo flat bed truck. This vehicle carries the force’s livery but is equipped with amber flashing lights as is commensurate with its role.



The rear view, showing that there is enough space for an LDV-sized vehicle to be transported, or two smaller cars and a third being towed using the beaver tail.

NL52 YJR is a black SMART which is temporarily liveried and has a temporary blue roof light arrangement.



The rear view of this two-seater city car.