Rozzer Shite

[reb]

I've always been somewhat fascinated by the range of vehicles used by the police in the UK.

Everything from this:

Especially this:

But I've recently discovered some more specialised vehicles such as this, which is broadly recognisable as a Mercedes:

But my new favourite is this, which is apparently based on a ford of some sort:

 

All of the above are much more interesting than the pug 308s that police Scotland seem to be so in love with.

My question though, what is the most iconic police vehicle?

[stuboy]

volvo 850 t5r estate

[warren t claim]

Merseyside Police Traffic garage.

IIRC, @Pete-Mowned an ex Merpol RS2000 at one point.

[Ghosty]

GMP had a thing for Capri 280is in the early '80s.

[Datsuncog]

Keepin' it local...

Not as everyday a sight on the streets of Belfast as they once were, but still plenty of PSNI Land Rover Tangis in service.

EDIT: bet there'll be loads around tomorrow, since Charlie-Boy's coming to town to take a look at his inheritance...

[eddyramrod]

@reb I think you've answered your own question with your first two pics.  Anglia panda, Rover jam butty?  Hard to beat, I suggest.

Although... way back in 1989 I witnessed a hit-and-run on the A580, in which a cyclist died.  A couple of days later I got a message that Greater Manchester Police wanted to send someone to my home to take a statement.  So I agreed an appointment with them and duly waited in, expecting a detective in a plain Fiesta or the like.  Er, no.  They sent a traffic sergeant in a fully-dressed Range Rover!  So for me, the RR Classic will always be somewhat iconic.

Unless we want to talk about the black Wolseley 6/110s that appeared in so many 1960s TV shows...

[Samuel_Pepys_Esq]

When I wert naught but a stripling, the Citye Constables didst desport themselves in such antiquated vehicles thusly:

But now, with much progress hence, do they discharge their patrolls in convyances much improv'd, viz:

Lord, the changes I hath seen in mine lyfe!

[DVee8]

[Asimo]

[warch]

The fabulously named Norton Interpol 

The Norton Commander 

The BMW R80

The Honda Pan European 

And the legendary Honda Super Blackbird (you’d have to be Barry Sheene to outrun one of those)

[mk2_craig]

What could be more iconic and classic than Austin Rover’s finest?

[UltraWomble]

Police in Preston trialled the Bond 3 wheeler in the 1950's before eventually moving on to the Reliant with its better load carrying capacity

This meant that officers only needed a motorbike licence to be able to go out on patrol.

Sadly an incident involving the pursuit of a joyrider, a missed sharp corner of Avenham hill and steep bank down to the river resulting in the panda car floating out on the tide to the Isle of Man, meant that the fleet was replaced with 4 wheeled panda cars

[cort1977]

Firstly, can I express my utmost delight that Mr. @Samuel_Pepys_Esq has made a return from the distant past to entertain us with his cheery epistles.

I have strong opinions on police cars because it's bad enough that all coppers appear to be about 12 years old these days but it adds insult to injury when they're driving some kind of Noddy car.  I want a proper machine driven by a proper copper with a big moustache and a line in sarcastic rhetorical questions 'do you know the speed limit for this stretch of road, Sir?'

Therefore, the only proper police cars are the Vitesse, Range Rover and the Volvo estates especially the 850 T5R.  My mate, whose family had a car dealership, claimed that the police ones of those had the boost turned up a bit but not sure i believe that because don't police value durability and idling for three hours more than outright speed?

With the Queen's passing there have been quite a few V90 estates around up here, a very welcome return to form by the peelers.

[rob88h]

I’m a fan of the Consul/Granada Jam Sandwiches. But then again, I would be. 

[warch]

The one and only time I was arrested (by the Welsh Fuzz when I was 18) was in a Volvo T5, I was driving a Mini 1000 so I didn’t even consider legging it, it would only have ended up in the comedy section of Police, Camera, Action, ‘look at this idiot’ etc etc.

Speaking of cool pleece cars I’d forgotten about these….

 

[JJ0063]

[Soundwave]

Not very AS I know, but I love the Oop North forces' answer to hot hatch joyriders; a hot hatch of their own!

 

 

Humberside, Northumbria and a few other places had a string of Escort Cosworths, all fettled a bit by Ford Motorsport to various degrees. The later ones didn't have the whale-tail spoiler, which made them faster at the top end but apparently significantly less stable.

 

[CreepingJesus]

The Ford garage I worked for in the late 90s got an early morning delivery of a (then) Fife Constabulary V6 Mondeo which had thrown a leg out of bed the night before in a chase on the A92. There were strict orders to do no more than lift the engine and ECU and await a replacement from SVO, which was couriered up very quickly. If memory serves me correctly, various bits of both engines were lock wired to prevent 'inspection'. Tweaked? I'd say so.

When Fleming Thermodynamics had a place in Clydebank, they'd certainly fitted a few Sprintex blowers to motorway patrol cars for Strathclyde and Aberdeen coppers. Tweaked? Definitely!

[warch]

I can remember when any ex Police patrol vehicle was alleged to have had super secret modifications in order to improve its performance and handling. 
 

Pretty much any advert for a white Volvo in the classifieds would (eta will still) make reference to this. See below.
 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165662827743?hash=item26924624df:g:03UAAOSw3NVjF6t4&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoAtvQPcgjVRDqcsgdezBNl4GVc%2B880Pck%2BWIkAd7tZRj2FoJ9FqVhRemqbsUyxpnlE0LX2kX3vkFMJaNNzg3Zz348Mhq5FnOzqcU%2BttxPG5EbuRIbXovr5dZOeOkhscZWfPh9fnQj7C82K6Ga%2F%2FvIBJui0Tr8FeG%2B3rQVfqN2YAA7bOKR7FNOTykD3Xv3%2BMe2MwXnU4OslHKHJWl51x5GOc%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR5adsd3mYA

[AnnoyingPentium]

Strathclyde Police 850... /thread.

[leafsprung]

wot no P6 3500?

[reb]

38 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Strathclyde Police 850... /thread.

Chad spec, Columba T5 wheels but no spoiler.

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, warch said:

The one and only time I was arrested (by the Welsh Fuzz when I was 18) was in a Volvo T5, I was driving a Mini 1000 so I didn’t even consider legging it, it would only have ended up in the comedy section of Police, Camera, Action, ‘look at this idiot’ etc etc.

Speaking of cool pleece cars I’d forgotten about these….

 

You’d have lost the GTE on the first even slightly damp first bend. 😂

[sierraman]

55 minutes ago, warch said:

I can remember when any ex Police patrol vehicle was alleged to have had super secret modifications in order to improve its performance and handling. 
 

Pretty much any advert for a white Volvo in the classifieds would (eta will still) make reference to this. See below.
 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165662827743?hash=item26924624df:g:03UAAOSw3NVjF6t4&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoAtvQPcgjVRDqcsgdezBNl4GVc%2B880Pck%2BWIkAd7tZRj2FoJ9FqVhRemqbsUyxpnlE0LX2kX3vkFMJaNNzg3Zz348Mhq5FnOzqcU%2BttxPG5EbuRIbXovr5dZOeOkhscZWfPh9fnQj7C82K6Ga%2F%2FvIBJui0Tr8FeG%2B3rQVfqN2YAA7bOKR7FNOTykD3Xv3%2BMe2MwXnU4OslHKHJWl51x5GOc%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR5adsd3mYA

As far as I know the only upgrade is the suspension is heavy duty and the alternator and battery. Plus if it’s a traffic car it’ll be fitted with run lock. 

[Conan]

57 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Strathclyde Police 850... /thread.

These don't handle nor stop as standard so I doubt they'd put more horsepower through it. Mine have the bigger brake disc (302mm) that these supposedly later have and it still doesn't stop for shit. That and once it actually got more power stuffs tend to break a lot. Stock they're plenty fast compared to most 90's tin anyway.

Later S60 isn't much better because surprising amount of the components are carry over.

I reckon many of those "300hp" ex-plod Volvo are just people chip tuning it themselves.

[1duck]

[sierraman]

There’s no real need to up the power on many Traffic Cars now, I mean a 330D would keep up with most things up to the point where the helicopter would be called out. It’s mainly intended to be a visual deterrent, bear in mind as well Police Traffic drivers are quite highly trained, chances are they’d keep up with you in an Astra 1.3 diesel. It’s also mainly about the train weight capacity for carrying all the shit onboard, 0-60 is pretty meaningless really, plus the gross weight of the vehicle, that’s why the BMW X5 is popular, it’ll take the weight, it’s ‘quick enough’ and it’s bulky enough that it’d be able to box someone out. 

[grogee]

I really liked this Granada Mk3 with 'aero' light package, although I think it was just a concept rather than anything the bizzies actually used.

Mid-90s Coventry police had Peugeot 306s with an outsize blue light on top, for some reason. 

[reb]

51 minutes ago, Conan said:

These don't handle nor stop as standard so I doubt they'd put more horsepower through it. Mine have the bigger brake disc (302mm) that these supposedly later have and it still doesn't stop for shit. That and once it actually got more power stuffs tend to break a lot. Stock they're plenty fast compared to most 90's tin anyway.

Later S60 isn't much better because surprising amount of the components are carry over.

I reckon many of those "300hp" ex-plod Volvo are just people chip tuning it themselves.

AFAIK all plod 850s and V70s had the 302mm R brakes, and I've heard that once the 250hp version of the engine existed they all used that. I would disagree that they don't handle, I've had all 3 of mine (and one of dad's) down twisty country roads at speeds that would be more than adequate for chasing the average scrote in a Corsa, any issues I had were definitely a lack of talent rather than a failing of the car.

[horriblemercedes]

I used to own this very car. It was good fun.

 

The good VXR stuff (brakes, suspension, 2.8 turbo V6) but otherwise mostly just white Vectra.