May the force be with you: Skoda patrols hit road
After more than 50 years of loyalty to Holden and Ford, police have unveiled their new patrol cars – the European Skoda.
Frontline police have been driving Holden vehicles since the late 1960s, with a brief dip into the Ford market in the 1970s and 80s.
The switch to Skoda was announced late last year after General Motors announced the ending of the Holden brand.
‘‘I’ve been in a Holden right since I started,’’ Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said.
The two-wheel-drive and fourwheel-drive models of the Skoda Superb placed first and second out of the 27 vehicles evaluated by police.
The Czech vehicles were chosen for their performance, safety, usability and low-emission standards with the two-wheel-drive vehicle being 30 per cent more fuel efficient than the Holden Commodores.
The cars also feature new innovations including a perspex divider, which separates the driver and passenger areas, and a newly designed gun safe, which allows quicker access for officers while syncing with keyless entry systems for greater security.
Holden ZB patrol cars had previously copped flack from staff for limited headroom.
The choice of a station wagon provided more room in the back and added to the comfort of officers and reduced risk ‘‘if someone is unco-operative’’, Coster said.
The new vehicles also featured updated live-tracking features, Sergeant Mark Moody said.
‘‘The cars have been livened up. When the lights and siren are activated, it’ll send a message to the systems so our [communications] staff know where we are and what we are doing,’’ he said.
Skoda New Zealand general manager Rodney Gillard said more than 23,000 Skoda vehicles were in use in European police forces.
In New Zealand more than 2000 Skoda patrol cars will be put into service over the next five years.
‘‘Even though they were designed in Europe, we think they were made for New Zealand,’’ Gillard said.