In a new scheme designed to save cash and reduce carbon emissions, police forces across the UK are downsizing their fleet of patrol cars and equipment.
Rather than the current high performance vehicles that are used as police cars under current regulations, diesel only models, economy priced Vauxhalls and Fords and small Hyundais are set to be utilised as patrol vehicles.
Police vehicles are said to be the largest fuel consumers of fuel, using even more than the post office, ministry of defence and even the ambulance service.
Even the flashing blue emergency lights on top of vehicles are to replaced with state of the art LED strobe lights in a bid to cut energy use and extend the life of batteries. Traffic patrol officers are also being ordered to turn off their engines during road stops and roadside incidents in order to cut fuel use.
This is as a result of a new four year procurement scheme that was signed in October.
In addition to this, any police vehicles that have reached the end of their working life or have been written off in a collision are to be stripped of their non safety related parts, with these set to be recycled.
Even though the scheme is still in its infancy, Richard Flint, chairman of the National Association of Police Fleet Managers and head of transport at North Yorkshire Police has reported that it is responsible for a 50% reduction in day to day fuel costs already.
However, he added that electric cars would not be added to police vehicle fleets for at least the next four years, saying that despite the fact that they undoubtedly benefited the environment, they did not yet make economic sense for the police force, as the engine technology is not yet available for them to be used as response vehicles, as well as the whole life cost of the models prohibiting them from serving as ordinary patrol cars.