Police hit speed bump to replace Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore highway patrol cars

[Express]

Police hit speed bump to replace Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore highway patrol cars


Joshua Dowling
National Motoring Editor
News Corp Australia Network

24 January, 2016




Pony express ... artist impression of what a Ford Mustang police car may look like. Picture: Supplied


HIGH-SPEED crooks may soon be harder to catch once Holden and Ford stop local production of police pursuit cars.

Highway patrol forces across Australia have used Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons for more than three decades to nab speeding drivers, and criminals trying to outrun the law.

But the cars that will replace the Falcon and Commodore pursuit vehicles over the next two years will be slower and more expensive than the current models.

The switch to imported cars has police across the country scrambling to find suitable replacements for highway patrol vehicles.



End of the road ... Ford Falcon goes out of production in October 2016. Picture: Supplied


They might look like family cars, but the latest generation pursuit vehicles used by NSW Police are the most capable ever put into service.

It’s not only their blistering acceleration that has helped stop pursuits before they start because, according to police, the bad guys know they can’t get away.

More importantly, say frontline officers, it’s the stopping power that gives them the edge.

Both Ford and Holden pursuit cars used by NSW highway patrol have been fitted with police-only high-performance brakes since a series of brake failures led to a stringent test being introduced at the Police Driver Training centre in Goulburn more than 10 years ago.



Stopping power ... high performance brakes on Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo. Picture: Supplied


Other Australian states and territories do not have the same “pursuit test” braking requirement, leaving some officers concerned about a return to “the bad old days”.

“Before we had bigger brakes fitted to our cars, they would turn to mush after a few hard stops, the brake pads would eventually disintegrate,” said one high-ranking officer with 20 years’ experience.

“Ever since we had the better brakes fitted, it has enabled us to slow down through intersections more safely and more reliably … and then accelerate again to catch up to the bad guys. It’s a public safety issue as well as an officer-safety issue,” he said.

Other officers who spoke to News Corp Australia said there have been fewer pursuits since “the crooks realise their brakes run out before ours do”.



Brake upgrade ... in late 2015 Holden began fitting bigger brakes (same as US police cars) to Commodore SS Series II police cars here. (Series I model pictured). Picture: Supplied.


An officer with 12 years’ highway patrol experience said vehicle performance was “not just about catching getaway cars”.

“Highway patrol are often the first cars at the scene of armed hold-ups, violent domestics, serious injury crashes and other life-threatening situations,” the officer said. “The general duties cars are often tied up, whereas we’re always roaming. If I’ve got to save someone from being stabbed, you want to get there as quickly and as safely as possible.”

The highway patrol certification test used exclusively by NSW Police involves the car accelerating and braking repeatedly for an extended period of time to simulate a pursuit or a response to an emergency.



Back-up ... highway cars often first to the scene of life-threatening situations. Picture: Supplied.


Both Ford and Holden had to upgrade their brakes on NSW highway patrol cars once the test was introduced.

Cars that don’t make the grade are not commissioned for highway patrol use. For example, the Toyota Aurion V6 did not pass NSW Police brake tests even though the car is used by highway patrol in other states.



Sunshine state ... Queensland police use the Toyota Aurion V6 (older model pictured) for highway patrol even though it didn’t pass pursuit brake tests in NSW. Picture: Supplied.


A national police advisory agency closed submissions for future vehicle replacements last week, with luxury brands dominating the list of tenders, including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. However, these vehicles are likely to be deemed too expensive.

This leaves limited options, including performance cars such as the Ford Mustang coupe, Volkswagen Golf R hatch or wagon or the Chrysler 300 SRT performance sedan, all of which are in the $50,000 to $60,000 price range.



Coupe option ... Police in Victoria and Queensland (pictured) have previously used the Holden Monaro for highway patrol duties. Queensland Police now have a small fleet of HSV Clubsport sedans, but they go out of production in late 2017. Picture: Parker Grant.


The current Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore pursuit cars cost about $48,000 — before significant government discounts are taken into account.

NSW Police said it would start to evaluate new vehicles later this year.

“As far as a national vehicle is concerned, that is clearly a longer term ambition (but) there is a layer of complexity around that,” the statement said. “We have very specific technical requirements.”

NSW Police cars are more advanced than those in other states, with all 400 cars equipped with in-car video, computer terminals, and automatic numberplate reading technology.



Eye in the sky ... police are increasingly using roof-mounted numberplate cameras to detect stolen or unregistered cars, unlicensed drivers and wanted criminals. Picture: Supplied.


Other states have just begun rolling out numberplate detection cameras on a handful of cars, whereas NSW has now started equipping general duties cars with the technology.

Meanwhile, substitutes for future general duties vehicles are expected to be a formality — because police are already driving them.

The Toyota Camry has begun replacing the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon general duties sedans, while the Hyundai SantaFe has started replacing the Ford Territory SUV.

The Hyundai iLoad and Volkswagen Transporter vans have been replacing utes as prisoner vehicles for several years.


WHAT THE HIGHWAY PATROL DRIVE NOW:



The Holden Commodore SS V8 goes out of production late 2017. Picture: Supplied

Holden Commodore SS V8

Price: $48,690

0 to 100km/h: 5.0 seconds

High performance brakes: the same used by US police



Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo is first to go out of production, in October 2016. Picture: Supplied

Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo

Price: $45,690

0 to 100km/h: 5.0 seconds

High performance brakes: Race-bred, made by Brembo


THE HIGHWAY PATROL OPTIONS FOR THE FUTURE:



The new Ford Mustang V8. Police have used coupes before. It may not replace every highway patrol car, but it could supplement the fleet. Picture: Supplied.

Ford Mustang V8

Price: $59,990

0 to 100km/h: 5.0 seconds

Pros and cons: High performance brakes (race-bred, made by Brembo), similar acceleration to current cars. Coupe body not as practical as a sedan but could be used for certain areas (police have used coupes before, including the Valiant Charger, Ford Falcon XB and XC Coupe and Holden Monaro). The Mustang needs a special bracket to store a full size spare tyre (a police safety requirement) because an inflator kit is standard. Fortunately the boot is bigger than before and police computer equipment is getting smaller.



The Chrysler 300 SRT8 doesn’t handle corners as well as the Holden and Ford but is one of the few options left. At least it’s available with performance brakes. Picture: Supplied.

Chrysler 300 SRT V8

Price: $59,000

0 to 100km/h: 5.0 seconds

Pros and cons: High performance brakes (race-bred, made by Brembo), similar acceleration to current cars and it has a big boot that can fit a full size spare (a police safety requirement). The Chrysler 300 SRT V8 doesn’t handle corners as sharply as the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon performance sedans. There’s also a question mark over reliability, and it has higher service costs. Dealer network not as vast as Holden or Ford.



VW Golf R wagon might be four-cylinder turbo but it has V8 speed, and high performance brakes as standard (they’re optional on the cheaper Golf GTI). Picture: Supplied.

Volkswagen Golf R

Price: $55,000

0 to 100km/h: 5.0 seconds

Pros and cons: High performance brakes, similar acceleration to current cars and it has constant all-wheel-drive grip, which is ideal for tight city streets and wet or icy roads. The Golf R is available as a hatch or wagon, to fit extra gear, but a full size spare would need to be accommodated (inflator kit or space saver is standard). The cheaper Golf GTI is not as suitable because it’s slower, front-wheel-drive, and lacks performance brakes as standard.



The current Holden Insignia VXR is slower than a Toyota Aurion V6. The next model will be quicker, but not as fast as today’s Commodore SS, say insiders. Picture: Supplied.

Holden Insignia VXR

Price: $51,990

0 to 100km/h: 6.8 seconds

Pros and cons: The Holden Insignia VXR is a pointer to the all-wheel-drive turbo sedan that will replace the Commodore SS in 2018. But it needs to make a big leap over the current car which, according to independent tests, is slower than a Toyota Aurion V6. Holden insiders have confirmed the next generation Commodore performance sedan will not be as quick as the current V8, nor as cheap.



Ford is said to be working on a Mondeo Turbo sedan, but its credentials are an unknown and it won’t be as quick as a Falcon XR6 Turbo. Picture: Supplied.

Ford Mondeo Turbo

Price: Not yet announced

0 to 100km/h: Not yet announced

Pros and cons: Ford of Europe is said to be secretly working on a turbo all-wheel-drive version of the Mondeo mid-size sedan, so its performance credentials are an unknown. But we do know the current car is smaller and narrower than a Ford Falcon. As with its Holden counterpart, it’s unlikely to match today’s Falcon XR6 Turbo, let alone beat it.

This reporter is a Twitter: @JoshuaDowling

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