Police highway patrol controversially given shiny new BMWs
Police highway patrol units in Australia are set to replace their Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore pursuit cars with a fleet of shiny new vehicles from BMW.
With local production of the Falcon winding up last year and Commodores reaching the end of its current line, Victoria Police Highway Patrol is moving to source specialised foreign vehicles to carry out highway police work in the future.
Highway cops in NSW and other states are expected to follow suit, with BMW one of the few car manufacturers still designing vehicles specifically for police work.
Victorian Police are getting some flash new wheels! They’re replacing their current cars with luxury BMW 5-Series Highway Patrol cars. #sun7 pic.twitter.com/fDusqj7ecr
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) September 19, 2017
Victoria’s Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer said the BMW cars were a perfect fit, meeting the operational requirements for highway patrol vehicles.
“BMW is the only company to date that has been able to provide a factory fitted ‘police pack’ making the commercial agreement an extremely attractive value for money decision,” said Assistant Commissioner Fryer.
The BMW 530d vehicle retails for $120,000, however it is understood that the police have sourced a cheaper model with most of the luxury features of the car removed.
The new BMW vehicles will reportedly only be used by specialised highway patrol units, with officers on general police duties set to continue to drive standard vehicles sourced from manufactures like Toyota, Hyundai and Volkswagen.
What are your thoughts? Do you think highway cops should be using BMWs?