Category: Police

A general view of police motorbikes from various forces.

A Volvo V70 T-5 in normal Durham markings, featuring the V arrangement of the roof lights. Apparently the blue stripes above the headlights serve no purpose at all!

M917 GJU is a Ford Transit, decked out in checker markings of North Yorkshire



The rear view of the same Transit.

Now this is a rare sight; two police scrambler bikes. The bikes seem to be unmarked, but the riders have luminous vests with ‘police’ written on. They are obviously used off road to patrol large hilly, rocky areas, clamp down on off-road motor-biking and searching for burnt out cars.

This is an armoured Range Rover armed police car, belonging to North Yorkshire Police. It is semi-covert, with clear glass to the roof-mounted blue flashing light, and lights and siren on the front semi-hidden.



The rear view of the same car. This is no longer used by the police and this is why it is shown here.

Below is an off-road police scrambler motorbike alongside its road-going equivalent.

Here is a display trailer, used by the road policing group to promote better driving.



Another such trailer.

A Ford police prisoner transportation truck from North Yorkshire.



The rear view.

Here we have an Iveco van with roof storage ability. Observe the extra blue flashing lights mounted high on the front of the roof.

N308 NTN is a Vauxhall Cavalier and a R434 JTN is a Peugeot 306 from a selection of training vehicles, used on public roads. They are minimally marked with small blue lights on the front, the Durham crest to the rear of each side, and a small sign on the back stating it is being used for training purposes

T691 OEW is a Durham Ford Focus.

T260 AFT is a Durham Vauxhall Astra.

P183 CFL is a Ford Galaxy people carrier converted into an Accident Investigation Unit.

R448 JTN is a Land Rover 100 Accident Investigation Unit.

This is a Volvo 850 T5 speeding past with its lights and siren on. This type of Volvo is a very fast and versatile machine.

This is a very special view of the arrangement of lights on top of a BMW police car. They form a ‘V’ shape and because of this coloured light can be seen from whichever direction you are looking at it.

A Honda Blackbird police bike (capable of 200mph+) with a side car? It must be for show only.

A West Yorkshire Police Honda Blackbird.

A Metropolitan Police bike out of active service.

This is a Northumbria police outrider escorting the runners of the Great North Run, circa 1988.

Here is another police outrider escorting a cycle race in the late 1980s (force unknown).

Three more Northumbria police motorcycles.

A BMW police bike belonging to Northumbria police.

Here is a North Yorkshire crime prevention trailer

This a good close up of a police motorcyclist’s view. At the bottom left of the picture is the radio, and on top of the dashboard is the speed detector readout.

A very exciting time during a police chase! From left to right, a Ford Fiesta Panda car, the target vehicle, a Volvo traffic car. Other police vehicles are off camera. The target car crashed while trying to negotiate the roundabout.

A Vauxhall Corsa P354 WBB and a Ford Escort R282 EES from Durham Constabulary.

P452 TUY is a Vauxhall Monterey in Cumbria

P753 LOY The Honda Blackbird combines staggering speed and handling. It’s top speed is actually greater than a police helicopter!



The front view.

A Northumbria Police Ford Transit and a serious crime trailer at a murder scene. Note the ‘slide-up’ first floor and the tall aerial on top.

Here is a LDV with optional riot shield, again from Northumbria police.

P339 WTN is a Land Rover, used in the Teesdale and Weardale areas by Durham Constabulary.

A Ford Mondeo saloon, viewed from above as a helicopter would. You can clearly identify each car by it’s call sign on the roof.

L65 MUB is a North Yorkshire Peugeot 309.

This Peugeot 306 is photographed in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.

R677 FUA is a Peugeot Van, used by North Yorkshire Police in Pately Bridge.

R691 FUA is a Rover 200 seen in Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

A rather rusty Vauxhall Corsa taken in Gateshead.

J397 MCU is a Suzuki SJ413, used in the rural areas of County Durham

A short wheel base Ford Maverick from Northumbria.

A Cumbrian LDV van with minimal markings.

P574 RWU is a Volvo 850 police car seen at RAF Dishforth.



The front view, showing the flashing blue lights and headlamps.

Here and below shows the same car, S734 HUB, one using the flash and one not. It is easy to see how well the reflective battenburg markings work. Police have dubbed these blue and yellow markings as Battenburg markings after the cake – you can see the similarity. The Police Research Laboratory have found blue and yellow squares are the most noticeable markings by the human eye, so you can see one of these cars at a greater distance.



The daylight shot.

R145 BUA is a Rover 200 pictured in Ilkley, Yorkshire. Note the advertising of the non-emergency phone number to cut down on inappropriate 999 calls.

A Honda Blackbird or ‘2 ton big bird’. So called not because of its weight, but it’s speed. Yes 200mph!

R455 JTN is a Range Rover from Durham.

R456 JTN is a BMW 5 series from Durham with only a slightly different number plate to the Range rover above.

A Durham Forward Command Unit.

R160 PNL is a Ford Iveco flat bed Lorry used by the police for moving vehicles.