Story from Pistonheads.com

Skoda is about to supply its 400th car for British Police forces.

David Ovenden, head of Skoda UK operations, expects the new Octavia, unveiled at The Sunday Times Motor Show Live, to follow in the other cars' footsteps.

Ovenden warbled at the motorshow: "The new Octavia will strengthen our fleet presence and that includes police forces, who also appreciate value for money and durability. I think some officers appreciate the effect they have when they stop people and are seen to be driving Skodas."

An estate car is early next year to be followed by a high-performance RS derivative towards the end of the year. Skoda expects to sell 15,000 Octavias a year, one third of which are likely to be fleet sales.

Yup - saw an rs turbo being nicked by a black unmarked vRS woth tinted windows - nice racy and oh heard the RS tried to race them!

I understand that the Notts police have a few silver ones....one is marked the others are not!!!! And they are modded!!!! Trying to find out what the mod list is.......

Doubt there modded all uk police cars are standard spec.

I understand that they have been 'played' with. I am awaiting any confirmation of this, though!!

I'm under the impression that some are played with but not all.

Doubt there modded all uk police cars are standard spec.

Wrong.

No, really you're wrong.

:cop1: Hertfordshire Police have a number of Octy VRS's both hatch backs and estates and fully marked up in "battenburg" trim. However I work next door to Welwyn Garden Police Station (where a traffic unit is based) and I have noticed both silver and black unmarked VRS's in the yard.

OK it could be they are private cars, after all there are three Octys and two Fabias in our car park next to it but I wouldn't bank on it. So watch yourself if travelling on the A1(M) hereabouts.

Maybe this explains why people keep getting out of my way on my daily drive to work down the motorway (mines a black one)

Wrong.

No' date=' really you're wrong.

[/quote']

Care to explain Si? All the traffic guys & other cops I know say that their cars have to be standard - can't risk accidents on modded cars for the sort of work they are doing (liability claim could be massive). There is a lot of rumour everywhere about modded cars but IMHO this is (a) a scare tactic; and ( rumour caused by max-muppets not being able to outrun a stock car - hence they give it large. :P

Care to explain Si? All the traffic guys & other cops I know say that their cars have to be standard - can't risk accidents on modded cars for the sort of work they are doing (liability claim could be massive). There is a lot of rumour everywhere about modded cars but IMHO this is (a) a scare tactic; and ( rumour caused by max-muppets not being able to outrun a stock car - hence they give it large. :P

Not in Kent, no, but you'll just have to trust me: a North-East force is "testing the water". Headfirst

Ok, so the Ford Galaxy, in full battenburgs, that it's drivers used to frequent the pizza place I used to use in Darwen, comes as standard with black compomotive five spokes and AP racing calipers?

Must have missed that option in the ford brochure.

Have to admit the the unmarked jag I followed pulled away from me really quickly.

Ok' date=' so the Ford Galaxy, in full battenburgs, that it's drivers used to frequent the pizza place I used to use in Darwen, comes as standard with black compomotive five spokes and AP racing calipers?

Must have missed that option in the ford brochure.[/quote']

Can't explain it Ian :confused: - although you can get 5 spoke alloys on the options list for a Galaxy so wouldn't be surprised if that is still classed as standard even if they did persuade them to make them black On brake modifications I can see this might be more acceptable liability wise than other aspects, given that that is one of the areas that is seen as being key to their choice of cars (although if they fail they still have a major issue).

Ok' date=' so the Ford Galaxy, in full battenburgs, that it's drivers used to frequent the pizza place I used to use in Darwen, comes as standard with black compomotive five spokes and AP racing calipers?

Must have missed that option in the ford brochure.[/quote']I've driven that one when it was oin the Ford Demo Fleet and it is a lot heavier than standard because of the internal kit (locker, cage etc). The engine was a standard 2.8 V6 but it did drive nicely. I delivered it to Devizes Police HQ where I asked whether their Senators were standard. (I was interested because I owned one at the time). All their cars had standard engines so that spares could be readily obtained.

Suffolk police have got Octy vRSs. When I was going to GTI International I parked up at a petrol station on the end of the Colchester bypass. its amazing how many people slammed on their brakes as they went passed an 'unmarked' poilce car ;)

Andy

They were def compomotives, not ford alloys...

Was a nice bit of kit, in a minibus kinda way.

Not in Kent, no, but you'll just have to trust me: a North-East force is "testing the water". Headfirst

Let me guess...

:rubchin:

They were def compomotives' date=' not ford alloys...

Was a nice bit of kit, in a minibus kinda way.[/quote']But the wheels and brakes were supplied by Ford with the vehicle. Ford have a special operation at Wethersfield where police vehicles are prepared.

Kent now have over 25 Octy vRS's - marked silver estates for area response cars and unmarked (all colours) hatches and estates as driver training cars. They are unmodified apart from sump guards IIRC.

They are also currently evaluating Fabia TDIs to replace Peugeot 306 and Octy TDIs estates to replace 406 saloons as general patrol cars.

Armed response and Traffic cars are staying as V70 T5s :thumbdwn:

From my experience most police cars are un-modded. You will get the odd one that a dealer will mod for them but is usually only one or two in the fleet.

Generally the driving ability of the traffic guys is sufficient to make up the difference in the few cases a traffic car comes up against a car that is technically faster. We are fortunate enough to live in a country with many corners so the drag race scenario does not come up that often.

There will always be the case where people get away but that generally due to the fact they are willing to risk everthing where as the police still have to ensure they do not hit anyone else while chasing them.

In that scenario even an F reg Nova could lose you if it did enough crazy things!!

Regards

all the volvo's cop cars are modded as my best friend is a engineer for volvo in cornwall here and test drives them when they come in for repair! they have ecu remapping and uprated brakes and suspension

So - police forces known to have Skodas:

1. Cleveland

2. Notts

3. Wilts

4. Herts

5. Avon and Somerset

6. Kent

7. Cambridgeshire

any more? Cut and paste ...

1. Cleveland

2. Notts

3. Wilts

4. Herts

5. Avon and Somerset

6. Kent

7. Cambridgeshire

8. Gwent

I've spotted both police (blue/yellow battenberg hatchback) and paramedic (green/yellow battenberg estate) Octavias in Newport.

Drifting off-topic a bit; Gwent NHS ambulance trust has at least one Smart done up in full battenberg as a fast response vehicle. Handy for nipping through traffic, I'd guess.

1. Cleveland

2. Notts

3. Wilts

4. Herts

5. Avon and Somerset

6. Kent

7. Cambridgeshire

8. Gwent

9. Leicestershire ...

...Octy jam sandwiches and Fabias for community policing.

1. Cleveland

2. Notts

3. Wilts

4. Herts

5. Avon and Somerset

6. Kent

7. Cambridgeshire

8. Gwent

9. Leicestershire ...

10. Central Scotland.........

Have Octy and Fabia jam sandwiches for general patrol duty ( not sure of models) and rumour has it that El Cid have unmarked Octys VRS's