Cop Cars Around The Globe
A couple of days ago, the Dubai police force created a bit of a stir in the automotive world by managing to scoop the Guinness World Record for the fastest police car on the roads: a Bugatti Veyron. With a top speed of 407 km/h and a 0–100 time of 2.5 seconds. The acquisition and fitting of the Veyron as a police car is something of a PR exercise for the Dubai Police; however, it joins some of the other supercars driven by the police in this country, making the United Arab Emirates possibly the country where it’s most fun to be a cop. Others in the Dubai police fleet include a Aston Martin One-77, a Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, a Ferrari FF and the “humbler”(?) Audi R8 , Nissan GTR and Mercedes SL 63.
Not many of the boys and girls in blue around the world are so lucky. Most of them have to put up with much more mundane machines, albeit with all the extras that cops get to play with, including the lights and sirens.
Australia:
The Ford/Holden rivalry extends to the police fleet, with Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores making up the bulk of the fleet in various incarnations for the past 30 years or so. Now, however, with the demise of Ford and Holden in Australia, taking these iconic marques with them, the cops are looking for new wheels that can do the business of high-speed chases. The Kia Sorento SUV is one contender, along with the Ford Mustang, Chrysler 300 and BMW 5-series. The new Kia Stinger is also a contender – or at least it will be when it goes on sale in Australia. Watch this space!
United Kingdom:
In spite of the original Top Gear Unholy Trinity sneering that the British police got about mostly in Vauxhall Astras, the modern equivalents of Robert Peel’s special troops get around in a selection of BMWs, mostly 3 and 5 series, plus a few others, including the quirky Renault Twizy (probably as a PR exercise, as this is going to be useless in a high speed chase)
Germany:
What do you think they use as police cars in Germany? Plenty of BMWs (320 Dt being popular), Audi A4s and a smattering of other local marques, including Opels and Volkswagens.
USA:
The most common are the Ford Crown Victoria and the Chevrolet Impala. However, Ford USA also puts out some cop cars that come off the factory floor ready to go on duty, the Ford Police Interceptor Utility being one of them.
France:
The latest addition to the fleet of the gendarmerie is the Renault Megane Coupé RS . Keeping it local and classy!
India:
India also believes in keeping things local, which means you’re not going to pick up the equivalent in your local Aussie car yards if you have a hankering to drive what the cops in India drive. At any rate, you’ll have a hard time finding the Mahindra Scorpio and an even harder one finding the Mahindra Marksman (which comes complete with machine gun mounts).
Israel:
Without the need to keep things local and with a need for serious security, the Israeli police – which is considered to be a division of the military Special Forces – need something pretty rugged. Toyota Landcruisers, Isuzu Troopers and Land Rover Defenders all get used, as do Hummers. In urban areas, a selection of sedans get used, with Toyotas being spotted frequently.
Russia:
Wikipedia lists a host of Ladas as being the patrol car of choice for the Russian police. However, before you decide that this is the best place to try a heist, think again. The fleet has recently been updated with a collection of Audi R8 V8s.
Finland:
In a land where rally driving is one of the top sports and getting a license means some really intensive training including ice driving, what do the cops use? The English version of the official Finnish police site is coy about the marques used but prodding elsewhere suggests that alongside vans of various types, the Mercedes Shooting Brake is part of the fleet. See how you go with one official video – even if you speak no Suomi, you can pick out the words for “police” and “Mercedes Shooting Brake” easily enough.
Incidentally, for those who prefer a second-hand car to a new one, I’ve heard it said that getting an ex-cop car can be a good pick. They have high mileages but have been superbly maintained with speed camera fines taxpayer dollars. All the extra bells and whistles, beginning with the lights and sirens, are removed before sale, though!
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