Avon & Somerset Constabulary: British Police Vehicles

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This section is focused mainly on Police vehicles used by Avon & Somerset Constabulary but I've included a few which pre-date this, such as those from Bristol Constabulary.

Many Police Forces throughout Great Britain introduced 'panda' cars for the first time during 1967 and 1968. These cars included the Hillman Imp, Hillman Avenger, Ford Anglia, Mini and Ford Escort. They were mostly painted in the distinctive light blue and white paint combination which remained unchanged for at least 10 years. Over time this was replaced with white painted cars fitted with adhesive decals. The decals were usually a Police crest on the front door and stripe or diced band running along either side.

In 1968 Bristol Constabulary introduced the Morris 1000 'Panda' cars after a successful trial.

Note the oversized Police sign mounted on the roof. Without the photographic evidence it would be hard to believe such large signs were really used. There is one original example of these cars still in existence. South Wales also adopted almost identical cars but with a single blue roof light instead of the large sign seen in the photos below.

These were replaced by the Ford Escort 1100s in 1971/72.

Bristol Constabulary new Morris Minor panda car 1968

Bristol Constabulary new panda car on Whiteladies Road, Bristol 1968 and today

Bristol Evening Post 1 May 1967

Western Daily Press 19 May 1967

The only surviving example of the Bristol Constabulary Panda cars from 1968

Bristol Constabulary replaced their Morris 1000 panda cars with Ford Escorts in 1972.

Evening Post 3 January 1972

The Hillman Avenger was one of the first Police 'Panda' cars used by Avon & Somerset Constabulary. Since that time there have been a variety of makes and models including Vauxhalls, the Peugeot 306, Galaxy armed response vehicles, Mercedes vans and Nissan Terranos. However, Ford has remained it’s principal workhorse over the years.

The first Ford Escort Panda cars - Liverpool Daily Post 15 March 1968

The arrival and popularity of 'hot hatchbacks' during the late 1980's spawned a car crimewave which lasted a decade. Police had to play catch up in the late 1980's as their own vehicles were no match for the stolen hot hatchbacks produced by VW, Ford and Vauxhall. The security on these early cars was in some cases almost non-existent making it relatively easy prey for car thieves. It prompted a huge after-market industry for fitting car alarms and immobilisers, which were often absent when the car was new. The trusted steering lock became a common site although the quality of these varied greatly.

Bristol Evening Post 9 July 1994

Here's a small selection of some of the vehicles used by Avon & Somerset Constabulary past and present. I've not included the many different vehicles used by the Traffic Police department in the Avon & Somerset Police Force area.

Increasing car crime in the 1990's prompted Avon & Somerset Constabulary to purchase the Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth to tackle a 'joy riding' and 'ram raiding' epidemic.

The Police helicopter was often deployed to assist during car pursuits. Sporty Vauxhalls such as Cavalier SRI, Astra GTE, Calibra and even Nova SRI were particular favourites for the teenage 'joy riders' and 'ram raiders' during the 1990's. Top of the range models such as the Vauxhall Cavalier GSI were considered a prize catch. This was due to plentiful fast cars that were easy to steal.

Hillman Avenger 1970's

Hillman Imp 1970's

Cumberland Basin, Bristol 1970's and today - nothing much has changed

Ford Escort c.1974

Police Ford Escort in Bristol city centre c.1985

The Ford Escort remained the main 'workhorse' throughout the 1980's

Ford Escort c.1982 with the landmark Gardiner Haskins store in the background - then and now

The Ford Escort van was used by dog handlers throughout the 1980's

Traffic Wardens were a common site throughout the 1970's and 1980's. They adopted the same uniform issued to Police officers but with distinctive yellow cap bands and shoulder badges. They also shared the same premises as the Police. These duties were separated from the Police and were transferred to the Council during the 1990's.

Traffic Wardens outside the Grand Hotel on Broad Street, Bristol early 1980's

Ford Police cars parked on Bridewell Street, Bristol 2011

Community Contact vehicle, Bristol City centre, 2011

Police motorcyclists outside the Marriott Royal hotel, Bristol 2011

The world's fastest Police car?

This Atom sports car was on loan to Avon & Somerset Police for a short period in 2014. Read the full press story here.

Stonefield Underwater Search Unit vehicle

A good summary of the Avon & Somerset's Underwater Search Unit can be found at divernet.com here.

Double decker bus used by Avon & Somerset 1970's

The current blue and yellow square colour scheme on Police vehicles is known as 'Battenburg' and started to appear in the early 2000's. High visibility, also known as 'high viz' was also being incorporated into Police clothing during this time. This colour scheme no longer includes the Police Force crest on the doors of Avon & Somerset Police vehicles.

There's an increasing number of photographs for sale on eBay of Police vehicles. Such photographs are excellent for research purposes. However, be aware that many are now being offered with copyright protection. This is fine for your own purposes but bear in mind this means they cannot be uploaded elsewhere on the internet in a blog or other photo sharing website without the owners permission.