Police unveil new patrol car
The first of more than thousands of Skoda vehicles that will be joining the New Zealand Police fleet has been unveiled.
Commissioner Andrew Coster has shown off the specially fitted out Skoda Superb in Wellington after the force had to find a new fleet supplier following the axing of the Holden brand.
Skoda beat competition from six other marques to land the police contract.
The first vehicle tailored for frontline patrols includes new prototype features, which will be field-tested over the coming months, and includes internal Perspex barriers for officers’ safety and real-time location information on each vehicle to assist with deployment.
There are more than 2,000 primary response vehicles currently in the police fleet, all of which will be replaced when they reach the end of their useful life.
The first 101 Skodas are set to be rolled out before the end of June with a further 386 scheduled to hit the road by the end of the year.
NZ Police says the cars will initially be deployed to training staff in districts and at the Royal New Zealand Police College, with the full roll out expected to take four years.
Coster adds vehicles are the primary place of work for many officers and the Superb provides a “safer, more comfortable environment for them while being value for money and reducing our carbon emissions across the fleet”.
“Frontline staff have tested the vehicles and enjoyed the spacious back seat, easy-to-read instruments, good visibility and the wide opening doors,” he adds.
General Motors announced in February 2020 it was pulling Holden out of New Zealand, Australia and Thailand, after supplying New Zealand’s police cars for decades.
Police will use two station wagon versions of the Skoda Superb as patrol vehicles, depending on operational requirements – the 162kW two-wheel drive and the 206kW four-wheel drive.
Coster explains that compared to the current police fleet, the 162kW model will decrease carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from 180.7 grams per kilometre to 162g, while the 206kW model will cut them to about 176g.
“We’re committed to reducing our carbon emissions even further and, as part of our 10-year plan to achieve an emissions-free fleet, we’ve begun discussions with Skoda around what opportunities there may be in the future,” he says.
“While not currently a viable option for our fleet, hybrid technology continues to develop and open up further opportunities.”
Rodney Gillard, general manager of Skoda NZ, says revealing the new patrol car is another milestone in its partnership with the NZ Police.
“Since the announcement last November that Skoda was selected as the preferred frontline vehicle supplier we have worked closely with the New Zealand Police Fleet team, and are committed to building a long-term relationship that ensures we can meet all the NZ Police’s evolving needs.”
