E39 Police Cars in London

I recently visited the UK and noticed a number of E39 police cars in
Westminster. What's the idea with using these? Are they reserved for
pursuit, supervisors, etc.? What model are they? The badges were
deleted. Having travled elsewhere in Europe I am familiar with the
concept of various grades of vehicles being used as police cars (e.g.,
Italian Carabineri driving Fiat Pandas on up to nice Alfas), but I
wonder if some of the UK readers could weigh in. In the U.S., just
about all police departments have just one type of car, the Ford Crown
Victoria, which is a large V8 rear-driver, for all personnel and all
purposes.

> I recently visited the UK and noticed a number of E39 police cars in
> Westminster. What's the idea with using these? Are they reserved for
> pursuit, supervisors, etc.? What model are they? The badges were
> deleted. Having travled elsewhere in Europe I am familiar with the
> concept of various grades of vehicles being used as police cars (e.g.,
> Italian Carabineri driving Fiat Pandas on up to nice Alfas), but I
> wonder if some of the UK readers could weigh in.

They use E39s in Glasgow too. I think Durham Police have some E39 540i's
for motorway patrol. Highland Constabulary has an X5 now, they used to
get Range Rovers (lots of snow up here).

Quite a few forces like the 3.0 diesel versions of the 3, 5 and X5
because they're fairly cheap to run but still nice and quick.

One force (Brighton?) had an E36 //M3 under cover car. They used to try
and get the boy racers to race them, then nick them for racing ;-)

--
Who needs a life when you've got Unix? :-)
Email: , John G.Burns B.Eng, Bonny Scotland
Web : http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk - The Ultimate BMW Homepage!
Need Sun or HP Unix kit? http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/unix.html

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I recently visited the UK and noticed a number of E39 police cars in
> Westminster. What's the idea with using these? Are they reserved for
> pursuit, supervisors, etc.? What model are they? The badges were
> deleted. Having travled elsewhere in Europe I am familiar with the
> concept of various grades of vehicles being used as police cars (e.g.,
> Italian Carabineri driving Fiat Pandas on up to nice Alfas), but I
> wonder if some of the UK readers could weigh in. In the U.S., just
> about all police departments have just one type of car, the Ford Crown
> Victoria, which is a large V8 rear-driver, for all personnel and all
> purposes.
>

Strathclyde police in Scotland, UK, have E39 models, 530d, 525i, 528i. Those
are the ones I have seen anyway.
Badger.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I recently visited the UK and noticed a number of E39 police cars in
> Westminster. What's the idea with using these? Are they reserved for
> pursuit, supervisors, etc.? What model are they? The badges were
> deleted. Having travled elsewhere in Europe I am familiar with the
> concept of various grades of vehicles being used as police cars (e.g.,
> Italian Carabineri driving Fiat Pandas on up to nice Alfas), but I
> wonder if some of the UK readers could weigh in. In the U.S., just
> about all police departments have just one type of car, the Ford Crown
> Victoria, which is a large V8 rear-driver, for all personnel and all
> purposes.

they are unbadged 520i's.
They are used as area cars - not designated pursuit vehicles.
They can be used initially in pursuits, but these are then given over to
traffic department officers as soon as practible.
Harry.

>

Father Ted wrote:

> they are unbadged 520i's.
> They are used as area cars - not designated pursuit vehicles.
> They can be used initially in pursuits, but these are then given over
to
> traffic department officers as soon as practible.

Not quite sure where you got that from. All Met Police and City of
London police 5ers (saloons and tourings) are 530ds, as are ARU's Imola
Red 5er saloons. They drive past me on a daily basis, and that isn't
the exhaust note of a sweet, oversquare petrol six .

"Dori A Schmetterling" wrote in message

>
> Didn't Thames Valley Police pioneer this?

Don't think so. They've been (100%?) Vauxhall for normal cars as long as I
can remember.

> (Thames Valley is a region west of London.)

Except the bit that's not. Or has someone moved Milton Keynes?

> Curiously I don't recollect seeing Merc police cars in the UK.

I've seen a ML on the motorway and www.ukpolicecars.co.uk (Google rocks...)
suggests Hertfordshire fancied a go in a C and an E.

> DAS

Anyone ever asked you to not top post Dori? Try it, you'll like it....

wrote in news:1106672363.482887.214570
@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:

> The badges were
> deleted. Having travled elsewhere in Europe I am familiar with the
> concept of various grades of vehicles being used as police cars (e.g.,
> Italian Carabineri driving Fiat Pandas on up to nice Alfas),

And then some ...

http://www.motoring.co.za/index.php?...icleId=2353201

--
Lordy

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I recently visited the UK and noticed a number of E39 police cars in
> Westminster. What's the idea with using these? Are they reserved for
> pursuit, supervisors, etc.? What model are they? The badges were
> deleted.

I live in the South West of Scotland, and our local police use e39s, a
Mercedes C Class and Volvo V70s for traffic police duty. They tend to use
the BMW X5, the Mercedes M Class and most commonly, the Ford Focus, for
local police work.

> Curiously I don't recollect seeing Merc police cars in the UK.

They use Mercs in Glasgow, not sure what type.

--
Who needs a life when you've got Unix? :-)
Email: , John G.Burns B.Eng, Bonny Scotland
Web : http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk - The Ultimate BMW Homepage!
Need Sun or HP Unix kit? http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/unix.html

"John Burns" > wrote in message
...>

>I think Durham Police have some E39 540i's

Correct, they have some E39's. E46's and an X5 I think. Plus a loads of
mercs but I don't know much about model numbers im afraid :-)

Ash