Strathclyde Police Take On Two I800s

HIGH WYCOMBE, UNITED KINGDOM – May 15, 2009: Scotland’s largest police force, Strathclyde Police has recently taken delivery of two Hyundai i800s, finished in full police livery.

Donated by Glasgow Community Planning Partnership and Glasgow Community and Safety Services, these vehicles will be used as mobile police offices in the west end of the City. Constable John Murphy of Strathclyde Police explained: “We wanted a vehicle which could offer spacious passenger seating and load carrying capability. The i800 seats eight adults with still plenty of boot space for apparatus needed to do our job. It also had to be fitted with an economical diesel engine.”

He continued: “Whether it is a minor or major crime that a witness can report on, walking into a police station can be intimidating for some. With the i800 we have had the middle row of seats turned around so that two rows face each other. This way we can go to people and use it as a safe and calm environment to engage with the community. Rather than coming to the station this mobile office can go to them. It’s perfect, easy to get in and out of with two sliding doors and privacy glass means no-one can see in.”

As well as the seats being changed in the i800 it also comes with a bike harness to carry five officers’ push bikes helping to make themselves visible in a community quickly.

With approximately 8,039 police officers and 2,738 police staff working round the clock, Strathclyde Police is Scotland’s largest police force, and one of the biggest in the UK.

They currently protect nearly 2.3 million people across 5,371 square miles of Scotland – from Glasgow’s lively urban areas to the rural remoteness of the Inner Hebrides – with policing services specifically tailored to the individual needs of various communities.