pauly

iTrader: (1)

on a little burst down the m23 today came across a black 04 jag which had pulled a bmw over.
lucky really i was havin a play with another bm at the time
how long have they been bangin around in jags? no wonder were payin so much in tax for them.
gx04 xlb between m25 and gatwick for those interested
seen just after in gatwick maccy d's drivethrough.

David Lock

wanabee Morses

wilkoca

LEWISSSSS

Castrol

The Police have been using Jags since way back... Various Forces used marked XJ6's in the '70s. The Met had Mk IIs in the '60s.

Moley

iTrader: (9)

Have seen them same car in the same place recently, had pulled over a fiesta if i remember correctly

Pixxie

got pulled by fully stickered x type on m6 about a year ago

watto52

why do they need expensive motors?
omegas yes modeos etc fine.
why jag bmw etc is this why tax goes up each year? soon theyll have lambo ferraris etc yet we struggle to keep our cars on the road.

John57

The police merely buy cars that can carry the size and weight of the kit they use and meet certain standards re performance, etc. Residuals also - unsurprisingly - come into it.

There are not actually that many cars out there that conform to what they need. In London the traffic police use 5 series BMW's because Vauxhall make nothing suitable any more and no other manufacturers seem interested. Any car they buy has to be fit for the purpose and approved by the Home Office. The Mondeo for one won't carry all required by the Met in London.

The weight and quantity of the kit carried is unbelievable .... for example : normal traffic patrol; 10 cones, 4 or 5 fold up signs, 2 fire extinguishers, large first aid kit, blanket, large plastic ground sheet, shovel, broom, 4 high powered blue lights, normal high power 'torch', cordon tape x 3, tow strap + hooks.... and thats without the weight of the extra electrical wiring, lights and siren.

Police car requirements are a car manufacturers nightmare!

Luckily - depending on your outlook - the Scooby falls outside most forces requirements as well

Moley

iTrader: (9)

They used to have an unmarked 911 which patrolled the A3 near Guildford

David Lock

Plus 2 lunch boxes, 4 thermos flasks and copy of Sun

ScoobyDriverWannabe

One of the forces had a lotus esprit a wile back didnt they

cant say i have saw any jags but most of the police around durham use BMWs

Not so long ago i was fishing along the promonade and hit a brand new BMW with a 6 ounce lead sinker with spikes sticking out the side.

It was my fault really but they was on duty and skiving at the time, cars shoudlnt have even been along there.

Id like to know how they explained the 3 holes and quite a large dent on the driver side wheel arch. Think the car was only a few days old at the time aswell.

Alec

IIRC that was actually a publicity stunt by Lotus, it was never used.

John57

I think you'll find it was a 968 ..... they had it years ago along with a Calibra Turbo, a BMW M3, Rover 220 Coupe turbo and Astra GSi 16v. They were bought to try out as purely pursuit cars in response to a big problem in London at that time with ramraiding.

I believe the problem subsided so the cars never got beyond trial stages.

mightyyid

Don't assume that the police always buy their cars - most of the manufacturers now supply cars to the police and do all the servicing, as, like taxi's they get more abuse than the average car. The difference is the taxi driver is mostly driving conservatively to save fuel. The police do the opposite thus stress the car a lot more.

I remember a few years ago, and it may still be done, the largest taxi firm in Brentwood had almost all their cars supplied by Ford (half of European HQ just round the corner in Warley) and these cars were maintained throughout their life by the company to accurately assess what worked and what didn't.

Obviously, the police buy a lot of their cars, but many are provided by the manufacturers for assessment purposes...

Andy

mightyyid

To add, those who are in the Guildford area and drive along the A281 will/may have seen the police compound on the side of the road between Shalford and Bramley. A large collection of cars in there, including unbranded and a lot unregistered cars. For example, there were a couple of days ago 4 Volvo V70's branded but without registrations, about 5 red Fiesta's and numerous other cars. many without plates. Thus I'm sure they also buy end of line models and just register them when required, hence it could have been an 03 MY vehicle that they bought to clear the compound at the manufacturer (for example)...

Petem95

There do seem to be a lot of expensive cars used by the Police these days. I was surprised to see an unmarked Audi RS6 on the M4 a couple of months back - really see no reason why they would need something like that - surely theres better value alternatives, even taking resale value into account.

Also seems odd that they use V8 Range Rovers a lot. Ok theyre big and easy to spot, but running costs must be horrific. Surely just using Volvo and Mondeo estates is adequate for motorway use, and a shed load cheaper?

pete1977

And the two fat donut eaters inside