Police forces around Australia have unveiled a number of high-performance cars to add to their fleets.
Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons have now been replaced by more luxurious vehicles, such as BMWs and high-performance Chryslers.
Hotted-up Honda Civics, Kia Stingers and Volvo XC60s have also been introduced in some states. The police even have a $440,000 Bentley Continental GT coupe they use as a ‘show car’ at events.
The NSW Police even have a $440,000 Bentley Continental GT coupe they use for car shows
BMW and Chryslers have been unveiled as police cars (pictured) in some states
Victoria set the trend, announcing their Highway Patrol will replace their Falcon and Commodore’s with a fleet of turbo diesel BMW 5 Series (pictured), with NSW shortly following suit
Victoria Police set the trend by announcing that their Highway Patrol would replace their Falcon and Commodores, with NSW soon after following suit.
BMW was a popular choice for officers as they are one of the few car manufacturers globally to make cars specifically for police work.
While the new vehicles are fitted with modern technologies, the cost to taxpayers has been lowered from around $120,000 per car to just $60,000.
New technologies include: automatic number plate recognition; multiple mounted cameras; in-car video cameras; weapons and protective gear; fire extinguisher and first aid, to name a few.
Honda Australia Director Stephen Collins said he is ‘delighted’ to ‘take an active role in raising awareness of the Eyewatch program to help make our communities safer’
Likewise, the lesser-known Volvo XC60’s have also rolled out across NSW Police Force, serving as highway patrol cars
The police car upgrade is both sophisticated and expensive, but comes as a well-overdue upgrade to take over from a 20-year serving fleet of Holden Commodores and Fords.
Likewise, the lesser-known Volvo XC60’s have also rolled out across in NSW, serving as highway patrol cars.
However, not all of the popular sports cars made the latest cut.
Due to safety issues, the Ford Mustang was rejected from the NSW fleet because it had ‘fallen foul of new regulations’.
But among the vehicles that did make the cut are the Turbo-diesel BMWs and V8-powered Chrysler sedans.
Likewise, the Chryslers also cost the police around the same price of around $65,000.
The BMW’s only costed the polcie around $60,000
Due to safety issues, the Ford Mustang was rejected from the NSW’s fleet because it ‘fallen foul of new regulations
It comes as a nice comparison to the $50,000 Ford Falcon and Commodore Sedans that police had previously purchased,
The new vehicles will be fitted with the ‘authority pack’ and bigger brakes, and were selected after authorities assessed the eligibility of 17 vehicles over a period of three years.
Another new addition to the NSW fleet is the Honda Civic Type R hatchback, which is complete with police symbols, tartan and the Eyewatch program logo.
‘If you see us around, give us a wave, take a photo (not while driving!) and come over and have a chat,’ a NSW Police Facebook page post said.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Joe Cassar, said the sponsored vehicle will cost taxpayers nothing.
‘The eye-catching design of the vehicle will hopefully be a great conversation starter while on display and get more people, especially younger people, more comfortable with approaching their local police,’ he said.
In both Queensland and Western Australia, the Kia Stinger has been announced as their latest addition.
The Stinger was selected after a 6-month assessment program and is priced at less than $60,000.
Likewise to NSW, the sporty Stinger is set to replace both state’s fleet of Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon pursuit vehicles