Possible "crackdown" on ex emergency/military service vehicles (perhaps)

[carbore]

Hello,

Saw this artice on The Register.

In a move which would, three decades ago, have seen classic movie The Blues Brothers stillborn, British cops and officials are seeking to prevent private sales of ex-police and emergency services vehicles and uniforms.

The Telegraph reports today that senior plods at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), allied with officials at the Home Office, believe that fiendish terrorists might buy up former patrol cars, ambulances and other official paraphernalia. Masquerading as righteous servants of the state, the miscreants might then penetrate security cordons or checkpoints to unleash havoc, perhaps by means of suicide vehicle bombings.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/30/ebay_terror_ambulances/

[crazymac]

I can "sort" of see where they are coming from with that, BUT and it is a big but!!

Take a vauxhall astra that is a police car, its a standard colour (white or silver) and has some extra electrical gubbins.

So a terrorist can't buy one ex police, so he buys the same colour at auction! he gets the light bar etc from any one of several suppliers and modifies them changing the orange to blue etc. They may not stand close scrutiny, but who looks??

and he can still do what he wants!!

its the same logic of banning hand guns, "then we won't have guns on the streets to kill people"!!! tosh!!! and banning greenlaning "then we won't have people driving their vehicles where they shouldn't"

And how many replica military vehicles are there around?? lots!!

It'll never work, so expect it in legislation within a year!!!  :roll:

[Drift]

I used to own an ex police Astra, other than the wheels you would never tell it was ex police from just looking they fully decomisioned it taking all wiring for lights horns and radios out, all stickers removed.

If all forces did that there would be no problem, cant see what the fuss is about, 

Just another stupid idea from some one paid a lot 

[strapping young lad]

are the ex-traffic ones modified with better brakes and engine management? or are they removed prior to decom?

[andyhubbard]

They are standard but well serviced with no money spared,used to work at the local Police HQ workshops.

[Tommo]

Would have been better just to sit tight and hope the terrorists wouldnt come up with that idea.

its not gonna affect anything more than 10 years old though is it. Two guys with turbans on turn up in a jam sandwich rover SD1.

[Drift]

Bough mine from a mate who is a mechanic for he police, he got it at the auction, he worked on the car from new and had all the history, about 16 pages of it, the thing was virtually rebuilt by VX new engine, new gear box and tons of other stuff all at 104k , he bought it at 112k and I got if from him at 114k and it was a perfect drive, you had to blip the pedal at traffic lights just to check you hadnt stalled it was so quiet  :D

It wasnt power enhanced it just had the optional high torque engine and abs and traction control things for safety, wish I had kept it for a long time after I ebayed it  :(