Author: UK Emergency Vehicles

OU06 AOO is a Vauxhall Vectra 2.8 V6 that is being used by police in Oxfordshire.

MX06 CWZ is a Greater Manchester BMW. It will be hard to miss this car coming up behind you as it has a two-row light bar on the roof, flashing lights behind the grille and next to the fog lights, corner-mounted flashing lights and alternating headlamp flashes too.

This is a GMP sprinter van in the usual colour-scheme of a blue roof and roofline. It has been converted for police use by Coleman Milne.

This Cambridgeshire blue Nissan X-trail has a single wide band of battenburg markings up the sides, as well as two yellow pieces on the bonnet to increase its conspicuity. The white light on the roof is a remote control spot light.

HMN-351-J The police on the Isle of Man operate this silver Range Rover with clear light bar.

SY05 AXN Here is a photo of a 2005 Ford Transit that is used by Northern Constabulary in the Northern-most reaches of Scotland.

SY56 AEC In Inverness you may spot this police mobile CCTV unit. The Sprinter has small cameras in the black pods on all sides. The camera on the front is in white housing and can swivel to any direction. A miniature cctv control room is housed inside.

This silver BMW X3 has been specially adapted by BMW to ‘authorities’ specification. This includes external modifications to the paint scheme and blue lights, and internal mods such as upgraded alternator, radio wiring etc.

Here is a Nissan Pathfinder 4×4 that is being displayed as a demonstrator. A noticeable addition is the telescopic floodlight mast. The light fold flat to the roof when the vehicle is moving, but on arrival at an accident scene at night for example, they can be lifted up, switched on and pointed by remote control.

HMN-835-H This Ford Focus police car is used on the Isle of Man.

NK54 FYG This Northumbria Police Volvo traffic car is attending a minor road collision. The driver has switched the rear-facing red flashing lights on to warn approaching drivers.

VE06 DVO This a Vauxhall Astra estate that is a police demonstrator car. Vauxhall Special Vehicle Operations take a regular Astra and make a number of modifications to it. These include modifying the dashboard to accommodate police radios and computers, adding additional wiring and of course adding the striking colour scheme. The most noticeable body change is the plinth that the light bar is mounted on which hides the wiring and adds strength to the roof.

X838 FHB Here is an ex-front line Ford Transit that is now used for support work by North Yorkshire.

YJ56 ADU Another police support vehicle is the 56-plate Transit. The photograph was taken in its first few days of use and it was still awaiting the North Yorkshire force crests to be added. You could say that the colour scheme was over the top for what is essentially a mail van.

PX06 GYH Here is a Cumbria police Volvo V70.

YG52 FYD This is a Peugeot Expert posing among the rolling scenery of North Yorkshire.

YJ04 CEV is a North Yorks. Citroen Dispatch. It is the same vehicle as the Peugeot Expert (above) with different badges and front grille. This example is not used for front line policing though, it is for emergency response driver training. Notice that it has windows all-round to help the driver and rear-seat tutees see out.

YK51 LWW Here is a photo of a West Yorkshire Police video van. It has a telescopic mast at the rear which has a cctv camera installed when operational. This bright-coloured Mercedes Sprinter can be deployed at known trouble spots (such as a nightclub) and can help deter crime or capture video of offenders.

M981 XPU This was the first electric police car to be seen in the UK. It is based on a Ford Escort van and is called a Ford Ecostar. It has a number of sponsors listed on the sides and is still owned by Hampshire Police. Ford made a number of these vehicles in the early 1990s which were easily identifiable by the small holes in the wheels and grille. The vehicles had a 15 seconds 0-60 mph time and a large hot sodium battery hidden beneath the cargo floor.

Here is a yellow Metropolitan Police BMW motorbike in Central London. At a distance it looks very similar to an ambulance motorbike.

PX06 BWJ This Yamaha YZF R1 motorbike is used by Cumbria Police as part of its Bike Safe scheme. The bike is marked out in battenburg and has two blue LED lights mounted on each rear view mirror.

This Yamaha R6 is used by Cleveland Police. It wears a minimal battenburg livery along the side and the only storage for equipment is in a small case strapped on to the rear fairing.



The front view of the R6, advertising the Ride Well scheme. Unlike the R1 above, the blue lights are mounted on the front wind deflector of the bike.

This is a ‘Mini Moto’ miniature motorbike is painted to look like a Durham Police Honda Fireblade. The bike can be ridded and even features blue flashing LED’s like the full size bikes above.

YEV 1L This grey Lamborghini Murcielago liveried as a Metropolitan Police vehicle. It has been put together by two officers from the Met’s Traffic OCU and is for display use only at the MPH’06 show at Earl’s Court. The £180,000 car is just on loan for the show, so they won’t be able to use its 640 bhp, 6.5-litre, 211 mph performance. Because it is on loan and sponsorship was raised, it cost the police nothing.

J54809 the States of Jersey Police operate this Honda Accord on the Channel island.

YF55 YLS is a BMW M5 in Durham Constabulary Police markings. The M5 is powered by a 5 litre V10 engine, capable of taking the car to over 200 mph. This car is used for show purposes by the force.



The rear view of the 507bhp super saloon.

NK05 FYP is one of a number of Peugeot 407’s used by the Durham Constabulary for driver training. It has two small blue LED lights mounted on the front grill and it also wears the forces crest on its side. The inset shows the rear view.

R448 JTN is a Land Rover Defender 110 300 TDI of Durham Constabulary which is demonstrating its go anywhere off road abilities.



The rear view of the Land Rover. This vehicle was formerly used as an accident investing unit by the force.

NK06 CHF is a Nissan Navara double cab pick up. They were introduced into the Durham force in 2006 to gradually replace their Land Rover’s.

AK54 WXV is a Mercedes Sprinter 415CDI used by the Metropolitan Police in London. It appears to have a pull out awning mounted high up on the side of the vehicle.

LD03 MGX is a Mercedes Vito operated by the City of London Police. It is strange in the fact that it carries a minimal livery combined with blue and amber flashing lights.

This Vauxhall Vectra is used as a police area car in north Leeds. The car differs from the traffic police versions that West Yorkshire Police use in both its livery and performance.

VO54 USL is a Vauxhall Vivaro 2900 used by West Yorkshire Police as a truancy patrol vehicle. It is seen here in Leeds city centre helping to close off roads during a fun run.

GK02 WZU is a West Yorkshire police LDV Cub. It is heavily liveried up to identify its role as a video van.

This silver Jaguar X-Type is a police demonstrator. You can see that a super-slim light bar has been mounted onto the roof rails.

This Renault Formula 1 racing car was partially re-liveried to become a police car for the day. ‘Police’ wording was added to the front wings, side pods and rear. Yellow and blue checkers were added to the top of the cockpit and the sides of the engine, along with ‘Metropolitan Police’ badges. To finish it off, a led light bar has been added to the rear wing. Naturally this is just a publicity vehicle and has not been used on the roads!

G13 RSR The silly season continues with this Porsche GT3 RS which was on loan to Durham Constabulary as part of their Bike Wise show in 2006. It has a 3.6 litre engine that produces 375 bhp at 7,400 rpm. This allows it to accelerate to 62 mph in only 4.4 seconds and then continue on to a top speed of 190 mph! Unfortunately it was not used for policing duties out on the roads. Inset: Rather ironic for a ‘police car’ is the addition of two false screw heads to the rear registration plate to make it read like the model of the car.

YB06 TYS This Iveco public order van is used by North Yorkshire Police. It has a windscreen grille, tough plastic shields over the lights as well as under-body protection that can lessen the impact of a petrol bomb for example.



The rear view of the personnel carrier which has a prisoner cage in the rear portion.

Warwickshire have decked out this mini-moto in police colours as part of an publicity event.

Warwickshire police also had a loan of this scooter that has been adorned with blue and yellow reflective stickers.

This is a Sussex Police Triumph Daytona 675. Unlike many police superbikes, this one is not just a PR machine used at bike shows and so on, this one is fully operational. While it clearly doesn’t have panniers this is not a problem as the bike works in the city of Brighton & Hove and support is always nearby. The lack of on board radio equipment is no longer an issue either with the arrival or personal airwave radios. The R1 has been decked out in yellow base colour with blue chequers over the top and was spotted at a vehicle evaluation day at Goodwood race circuit.

Here is a 52-reg Ford Focus that is being used by Devon & Cornwall Police.

FJ51 NNB and FP53 DXR are a Citroen Dispatch and a Ford Focus that are in service with Nottinghamshire Police.

Y351 YBC Nottinghamshire also run this Mercedes Sprinter van as a mobile CCTV vehicle.

YJ06 TXX This is a black Yamaha R1 which carries small ‘police’ markings, including the North Yorkshire force crest on the wind deflector. It is not fitted with blue lights and is on loan to the force for rider education purposes as part of the ‘bike wise’ scheme.

NK06 MKA Cleveland police have this Buell Ulysses. It is fitted with blue flashing lights on the handlebars and another one is attached to the rear. It is decked out in the usual battenburg markings. An unusual feature of this make of motorbike is that there is a belt driving the rear wheels rather than a metal chain.

LX54 CUC This silver Met Police Range Rover V8 is fitted with a special type of bull-bar to push cars. It can be used to move cars damaged in a crash or to smash through a hostile road block when escorting VIPs.

LV03 TMU City of Westminster Council operate this mobile camera van in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police. The Ford Transit in a bright yellow colour has a small camera sticking out of the roof.

This battenburg-marked motorbike is used by the City of London Police.

This Metropolitan Police BMW motorbike is being used by an armed police officer to escort a VIP. A number of such motorbikes can ride out ahead of the main convoy and quickly stop traffic at junctions. The officers also have whistles to help attract attention when directing traffic.