Police

It’s been nearly 40 years since random breath testing and the famous ‘booze bus’ became a part of Australian driving. In that time road deaths from alcohol-related accidents have dropped dramatically, saving hundreds of families every year from trauma.

In the context of road safety in Australia, I’m about to say something outrageous. So repugnant it’s the equivalent of promoting smoking as a healthy pastime, positioning a gambling addiction as ‘just a bit of fun’, and endorsing a bad relationship with alcohol as something to be encouraged, especially in teenagers.

Isuzu's new high standard safety spec isn't just about luring private buyers, with the brand placing big hopes on fleet expansion.

Speed cameras, particularly the undisguised mobile ones, are nothing more than money-grabbing machines that do more harm than good, and if the government truly cared about saving our lives, they’d invest more in the police force and driver education programs instead. There, I’ve said it, and I’ve spoken to former and current NSW police officers on and off the record who whole heartedly agree. 

There was a time when the sight of a white Holden Commodore SS or Ford Falcon XR6 in your rearview mirror made you clench and glance down at your speedo just in case it was a disguised police car, but what unmarked pursuit and patrols vehicles are the boys and girls in blue driving now?

Volkswagen has shared details on its range of emergency services vehicles recently updated in line with the consumer-grade MY21 versions of the Passat car and Tiguan SUV.VW Australia confirmed the pair of models will continue to be available in a ‘Proline’ grade unavailable to the public, which pairs more powerful engine choices with a list of special equipment to suit emergency services.In the case of the Passat, emergency responders can select either a sedan, wagon, or lifted Alltrack with the 140TSI (140kW/320Nm) or 162TSI (162kW/350Nm) engine, complete with dual-battery support and a 180-amp heavy-duty alternator for onboard equipment, sports suspension and progressive steering from the R-Line, and a more basic trim level which swaps the more luxurious appointments for occupational health and safety approved cloth seats with lumbar support.Meanwhile, highway patrol spec cars can make use of the halo 206kW/350Nm engine with all-wheel drive otherwise only equipped on the top-spec R-Line wagon. The options list for these specially equipped vehicles is said to include weapons racks, radio systems and first aid packs.CarsGuide understands that while there are similar ‘Proline’ variants available in overseas markets, the ones received in Australia are uniquely specified. VW covers these factory-provided changes with the standard warranty.For reference, when the NSW highway patrol asked for cloth seats in their fleet of diesel BMW 5 Series sedans, they were told the assembly line which constructs them could not be configured to build them without leather trim. Meanwhile, The Hyundai Sonata sedans used as general duties cars are more similar to the VWs, a unique trim level sporting the more powerful engines with more basic interiors.VW tells us over 550 Passat Proline variants have been delivered to the police fleets of Victoria, South Australia, the ACT, and Western Australia, where they are used both as general duties vehicles and highway patrol since the launch of the special variant in 2019.VW's Tiguan is also available as a Proline, but only in its extended Allspace guise. Interestingly, VW removes the third row of seats from the factory in order to give emergency services a larger boot capacity, as well as trimming 60kg of weight which can then be used for onboard equipment.The Tiguan Allspace Proline’s special equipment includes the normally limited-edition “off-road pack”, which includes redesigned bumpers for better approach and departure angles with underbody protection. It also includes the heavy-duty alternator and is specified as the base Comfortline grade. Despite this, it swaps out the 132TSI engine for the more powerful 162TSI to offer emergency services more power with more basic trim.VW says roughly 50 Allspace Prolines are currently on fleets around Australia, being used as a “sprint unit” ambulance in South Australia, and either as a general duties or highway patrol police car in SA, Victoria, and WA. VW has a view to expand where it can, telling us the program has been a success so far and it is “in talks with interested parties” in other states for the Passat and Tiguan pair.Fleet operators will be able to order the updated MY22 version of the Mexico-sourced Allspace due soon from launch.

Australia's boys and girls in blue will soon have a new vehicle at their disposal, with the new LandCruiser 300 Series a sure-fire starter to replace the LC200 in Australia's harder-to-reach destinations.The tough-as-teak Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series is

The new Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series has been spied in police livery for the first time, with the twin-turbo V6 off-roader seemingly joining the Dubai Police fleet.

Ford Australia has confirmed that Victoria Police have enlisted its popular Ranger ute to replace the discontinued Holden Colorado as its next divisional van

For more than 70 years up, the choice would have been easy for our nation’s law-enforcement agencies seeking patrol vehicles: buy Australian-made.