Panda car
Car Show
Panda car
A modern panda car of the
Devon and Cornwall Constabulary
A panda car is a small or medium-sized
police car
operated by
British police forces. They are used for ordinary patrol work, with larger
and more powerful vehicles being used for emergency response, traffic patrol and
special services.
Description
Panda cars were named after
pandas because they were originally painted in large panels of black and white,
or blue (usually light blue) and white. This may have been influenced by the
black-and-white vehicle colour scheme favoured by North American police forces,
which allowed the unambiguous recognition of patrol units as such from a
significant distance. In the 1980s police cars in the U.K. began to be painted
predominantly white to save acquisition costs, usually with reflective red or
yellow stripes. The Dunbartonshire force found an enterprising way round this,
however, buying two Hillman Imps (subsequently nicknamed 'Pinky and Perky'); one blue and one
white. The boot lids, bonnets and doors were then swapped to create a panda car
style scheme. Today, patrol cars are painted in a variety of different colours,
often with multicoloured panels or stripes, although many forces still use a
mainly white colour scheme. The name panda car or panda is still
often used, however.
History
In many areas the panda car replaced the traditional "bobby on the beat" when
it was seen that larger suburban or rural areas could be more effectively
patrolled by officers in cars, as opposed to on foot,
bicycles or motorcycles. The provision of shelter from the notoriously unpredictable British weather and
a two-way radio were also benefits.
The panda is distinct from the "area car", a larger and more powerful vehicle
which acts as support to the beat constables, usually carrying two officers.
Models of car used
Many models of panda car have been or are used by British police forces.
Among the most popular are:
Austin Maestro
Austin/Rover Metro
Ford Escort
Ford Fiesta
Ford Focus
Hillman Imp
Mini
Morris Traveller
Vauxhall Astra
Vauxhall Vectra
See also
External links
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