Do the police use dummy plain clothes cars to train potential pursuit drivers in the police? Was in heavy traffic this morning and heard a siren early - then saw something black with flashing grille lights trying to cut through 2 lanes of traffic. I managed to get a good gap in to dive left and allowed it past on my offside. Turns out it was a 2.0 TDI audi A4. Was not making "professional" progress through traffic in my opinion which is why I thought it could be a learner. Does this happen often?

Not sure, but I noticed recently a new unmarked Vectra parked by the side of the road with stickers on the back saying something along the lines of 'caution police training execise'. Not necessarily unmarked pursuit exercise, but could be something along those lines.

I would have thought if a Police officer is learning to perform pursuit driving, they would have been trained to a certain level of advanced driving first. So in theory, you shouldn't have witnessed "shoddy" driving even if they were learning.

Every force has different driver training policies. Usually standard panda drivers are trained to drive to a level where they can use blue lights and sirens and give a basic commentary.

Each force will also have a pursuit policy containing criteria that assists in the desiscion of whether the pursuit continues, or is abandonned. this descision can be made by the driver, or the incident manager in the control room.

Generally, standard drivers are allowed to take part in "safe follows" until an advanced driver in an appropriate vehicle turns up to commence a pursuit. Advanced drivers are trained in pursuit techniques and will take part in urban and rural containment exercises, where they follow a target vehicle which tries to outfox the trainee in a safe manner. Some forces use marked vehicles as a target, some use unmarked traffic cars, and some use normal cars fitted with a police radio. The local lot use an old Seat Leon Cupra for a target.

The next level up is Tactical Pursuit And Containment - TPAC, which is usually undertaken by established traffic cops and firearms teams. For training, they usually put a rolling block on the motorway, and the trainees practice their art in a live arena further up the motorway, at a safe distance from Joe Public.

This car was just negotiating bumper to bumper queues, perhaps something they have to do in reality of course. Nothing on the car to say they were only practising. It was totally black, with no markings whatsoever. Just some "added lights"

Every Police training car I have seen has lettering on the back stating "Caution Police Driver Training Vehicle". You may have seen yet another bogus cop car. :confused:

deffo real. Both people in the front were in hi-viz. I didn't see anyone else but I wasn't looking too hard. Just trying to get out the way as fast & safely as possible.

deffo real. Both people in the front were in hi-viz. I didn't see anyone else but I wasn't looking too hard. Just trying to get out the way as fast & safely as possible.

I suspect it was a proper unmarked unit then. They sometimes time their progress to arrive at a certain junction at a specific time to block off a car being chased by another unit.

It could've been either a fire brigade or coastguard car also, was it finished in dark blue ?

Sounds like "standard responce" driver training, lucky buggers.................... ( 7 years of applying, 7 years of refusals..........)

sounds legit to me, around Hendon in london you can see the new recruits and ones being trained for class 1 response and the levels of driving can be a lot to desired and in some cases (in my personal opinion of course ) makes them a more nervous and dangerous driver (many situations, to many to post here lol). If you ever in doubt you can always ring up the local station with the reg and they will look into it (obviously they wont tell you either way as unmarked cars need to stay that way).

Cleveland Police have a race blue 58 reg octy vRS which is used as the bandit car when they do the pursuit training , it has the blue strobes in the grill / wig wag headlights & fogs and blue strobes in the back window , seen it a few times being chased by the volvos & un marked vRS,s / focus ST,s

I've seen many other forces running there trainies through the lakes, this can lead to problems as I like to use a tow car on my cross Cumbria jont. I have tailed a few in my time and luckly have not tailed them for too long before realising my mistake.

Steve.

I have seen them on the road... I passed one that was doing 100 MPH, and saw the sticker on the back

sounds like a plan to avoid being late for work - hi-viz jackets and some ebay lights perhaps?

sounds like a plan to avoid being late for work - hi-viz jackets and some ebay lights perhaps?

I have the hi viz but i dont need the lights.

the local plod have several identical s40 sport T5's so everone thinks I am out to get them and they pull over on the motorway

exellent bit of kit for despatching middle lane hoggers

Could it have been CID?