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Police in the United Kingdom use a wide range of operational vehicles, including compact cars, powerful estates and armoured police carriers. The main uses are patrol, response, tactical pursuit, and public order policing. Other vehicles used by British police include motorcycles, aircraft, and boats.
Incident response vehicles (IRVs) are used by UK police to respond to emergencies and to conduct proactive patrols. They are fitted with blue lights and sirens to warn other road users and pedestrians vehicles that they need to make way for the police vehicle.
IRVs will generally carry equipment and lighting for use at traffic incidents, such as traffic cones, warning signs and basic first aid equipment. Many response cars in the UK now also carry mobile technology which can be linked to police databases and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology.
Excluding the Police Service of Northern Ireland, police officers in the United Kingdom do not typically carry firearms. There are, however, a number of armed response vehicles (ARVs) in each police force area in which authorised firearms officers are carried.
Roads policing units vehicles, also known as traffic cars, are faster police vehicles used by pursuit trained officers who are tasked responding to serious traffic collisions and conducting high speed pursuits, as well as traffic enforcement and criminals using the road to commit offences. RPU cars carry specialist equipment, such as traffic cones, road closure signs or collisions, and scene preservation equipment. These vehicles are usually fitted with ANPR to assist in traffic enforcement.
Historically, cars such as the Wolseley 4/50 & 6/80, Jaguar Mark 2, Rover P6, Rover SD1, Rover 800 and Vauxhall Senator were commonly used. [1] [2] [3]
During the 1960s-70s, many police forces started buying foreign cars due to the unreliability of domestic vehicles. In 1965, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary purchased four Volvo 121 Amazons. [4] In 1972, Thames Valley Police and Derbyshire Police bought the first BMW police cars in the UK, the BMW E3 3.0Si's, followed by West Mercia Police in 1974. [5] Following that, many Volvo and BMW cars have been used as police cars. [6]
Most roads policing vehicles are rated as 'high-performance', requiring traffic officers to undergo additional driving training to the 'advanced' standard. Officers are also commonly trained in Tactical Pursuit and Containment (TPAC) which is the umbrella term for pursuit tactics (e.g., HoSTyDS, boxing, static stop).
Area cars sit between IRVs and RPUs. They are usually higher-performance vehicles similar to those in RPUs but operated by officers on response teams who respond to general emergency calls.
Motorcycles are used by a number of services; usually the road policing unit. Police motorcycles are also used in road safety initiatives such as Bikesafe, a national programme to reduce motorcycle casualties where police motorcyclists provide advanced rider training to members of the public. [7]
Some Metropolitan Police Special Escort Group officers and Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection also use motorcycles.
A variety of motorcycles have been used by police. The Honda ST1300 Pan-European was a popular bike, but it was withdrawn from service by most forces in 2007, [8] following the death of a Merseyside police motorcyclist in 2005 in an accident caused by an instability in the model when outfitted with police equipment. [9]
Police vans are widely used across the United Kingdom and incorporate a cage to hold prisoners.
Larger vans are also used to act as mobile control room at major incidents, and may also carry specialised equipment such as hydraulic door entry and cutting tools. Minibuses are used to carry groups of police officers, for example to public order and major incidents, and for inner-city patrols, such as the Metropolitan Police's Territorial Support Group. The minibuses are usually fitted with riot shields to protect the windscreen from damage, or reinforced glass.
UK police forces typically use the battenburg pattern of yellow and blue retroreflective chequer-squares for their vehicles, on top of the base vehicle colour.
Police cars, vans and minibuses may have aerial roof markings that help aircraft crew identify them. These can include the unique force code, vehicle identifying mark, or police division that the vehicle belongs to.
Under the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989, police vehicles may display blue flashing lights to alert other road users to their presence or when the driver feels that the journey needs to be undertaken urgently. These lights are usually mounted on the roof and incorporated into the standard vehicle system of external lights. Most police vehicles are also fitted with a siren. In addition to blue lights, many traffic and incident response cars are fitted with flashing red lights that are only visible at the rear of the vehicle. These indicate that the vehicle is stopped or moving slowly. [11]
All police air support in England and Wales is provided by the National Police Air Service (NPAS). NPAS uses Eurocopter EC135 and EC145 helicopters, alongside Vulcanair P68R planes. Twin engined aircraft are required, as air support units (ASU) are often required to fly over urban areas.
Aircraft are fitted with an array of surveillance, navigation and communication technology to help them with a wide variety of tasks. The specific tasks that any one police helicopter performs will vary from force to force, but common deployments are for missing person searches, vehicle pursuits, the tracking of suspects, and maintaining public order. [12] [13]
Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate air support units. Police Scotland utilises a single EC135, whilst the Police Service of Northern Ireland operates two EC135 and one EC145 helicopters.
Police aircraft can be used for MEDEVACs, however, these are rarely performed due to the availability of HM Coastguard helicopters and charitably funded air ambulances – both of which offer enhanced medical care with the availability of a paramedic and/or doctor on board.
A single pilot civilian operates each aircraft. Most pilots operating police aircraft come from a military background – and as such have the required flying hours and experience to safely fly at low-levels and for prolonged periods of time.
The standard crew in a police helicopter consists of two tactical flight officers (TFO). A front seat observer is responsible for operating the helicopter's surveillance systems. The rear seat observer, responsible for communications using the TETRA radio and downlink systems. NPAS' P68 fixed-wing aircraft only operate with one TFO due to weight restrictions.
TFOs are sworn police officers who have extensive experience on the ground, and also carry all the equipment a normal police officer would onboard – should the aircraft be required to land to assist or make an arrest. All pilots are civilians, and have no police powers.
Police forces whose area includes significant waterways often include marine support units. Not only do these units police the waterways, but they also maintain a capability for waterborne rescue, usually in co-operation with HM Coastguard.
An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medical emergencies by emergency medical services (EMS), and can rapidly transport paramedics and other first responders, carry equipment for administering emergency care, and transport patients to hospital or other definitive care. Most ambulances use a design based on vans or pickup trucks, though others take the form of motorcycles, buses, hearses, aircraft and boats.
An emergency vehicle is a vehicle used by emergency services. Emergency vehicles typically have specialized emergency lighting and vehicle equipment that allow emergency services to reach calls for service in a timely manner, transport equipment and resources, or perform their tasks efficiently. Emergency vehicles are usually operated by authorized government agencies, but some may also be operated by private entities where permitted by law.
The Mersey Tunnels Police is a small, specialised, non-Home Office police force that provides policing services for the Mersey Tunnels in Merseyside, England. The force, which comprises fifty one officers from Constable to Chief Police Officer is responsible for effective road policing of the Mersey Tunnels, Approach Roads and Exit Roads. It is privately funded by Merseytravel which in turn reports to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
A police car is an emergency vehicle used by police for transportation during patrols and responses to calls for service. A type of emergency vehicle, police cars are used by police officers to patrol a beat, quickly reach incident scenes, and transport and temporarily detain suspects.
Traffic police are police officers, units, and agencies who enforce traffic laws and manage traffic. Traffic police include police who patrol highways, direct traffic, and address traffic infractions. They may be a separate agency from a main police agency, a unit or division within a police agency, or a type of assignment issued to officers; they can also be part of a transportation authority or highway authority.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England.
Emergency vehicle lighting, also known as simply emergency lighting or emergency lights, is a type of vehicle lighting used to visually announce a vehicle's presence to other road users. A sub-type of emergency vehicle equipment, emergency vehicle lighting is generally used by emergency vehicles and other authorized vehicles in a variety of colors.
The Belfast Harbour Police is a small, specialised ports police force, with responsibility for the Port of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1847, making it the oldest continuously-operating law enforcement agency on the island of Ireland.
Emergency vehicle equipment is any equipment fitted to, or carried by, an emergency vehicle, other than the equipment that a standard non-emergency vehicle is fitted with.
The Traffic Operational Command Unit (OCU), formally known as CO15, was the Road Policing Unit for the Metropolitan Police Service in Greater London, England.
Police uniforms and equipment in the United Kingdom vary enormously per force or service, and different uniforms and equipment is used for different situations. Both what is worn and what is carried have varied considerably from the inception of the earliest recognisable mainstream police services in the early 19th century. As various laws in the mid-19th century standardised policing in the United Kingdom, so too were uniforms and equipment. From a variety of home grown uniforms, bicycles, swords and pistols the British police force evolved in look and equipment through the long coats and top hat, to the recognisable modern uniform of a white shirt, black tie, reflective jackets, body armour, and the battenburg-marked vehicles, to the present-day Airwave Solutions radios, electric vehicles and tasers.
A roads policing unit (RPU), or a similarly named unit in some forces, is the specialist road traffic police unit of a British police force.
Police aviation in United Kingdom provides British police forces with an aerial support unit to assist them in pursuit, surveillance and tracking. All police aviation in England and Wales comes under the National Police Air Service (NPAS), while Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland operate independent units.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States, maintains and uses a variety of resources that allow its officers to effectively perform their duties. The LAPD's organization is complex with the department divided into bureaus and offices that oversee functions and manage specialized units. The LAPD's resources include the department's divisions, transportation, communications, and technology.
Ambulance Victoria (AV), a Victorian agency of the Department of Health, is the statutory provider of pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance services in Victoria. Ambulance Victoria was formed on 1 July 2008 with the merger of the Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS), Rural Ambulance Victoria (RAV), and the Alexandra District Ambulance Service (ADAS). Ambulance Victoria has undergone significant reform since 2008.
National Highways traffic officers, previously Highways England traffic officers (2015–2021) and Highways Agency traffic officers, are employed by National Highways in England.
Police transport refers to any form of transportation used by police in their duties. These primarily include methods for patrol and prisoner transport.
A fire motorcycle is a specialist motorcycle modified for use by a fire brigade or fire department. Several countries around the world use fire vehicles based on a motorcycle, often for rapid intervention to beat traffic congestion. The equipment carried ranges from simple extinguishers to jet guns with hose rigs. Firefighters may also use fire motorcycles to offer medical first aid treatment. In the United Kingdom, fire motorcycles are used by some fire services for road safety awareness campaigns.
The Air Wing is the police aviation unit of Victoria Police that operates in metropolitan Melbourne and provides a service to the whole of Victoria.
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