BMW Australia is proud to announce a vehicle supply partnership with Victoria Police. The arrangement sees Victoria Police committing to include up to 80 BMW 530d sedans on the highway patrol fleet by the end of 2018 taking Victorian Police into the next generation of vehicle safety and technology.
“Lauded by media and customers alike for its combination of performance, safety and efficiency, the new BMW 5 Series range is a natural fit for police duty,” said BMW Group Australia CEO Marc Werner of the announcement.
Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer said our highway patrol vehicles have specific operational requirements.
“BMW has come to the party and worked with us on making sure their cars are as fit for purpose as possible,” AC Fryer said.
“They are the only company to date that has been able to provide a factory fitted ‘police pack’ making the commercial agreement an extremely attractive value for money decision.
“This is a great opportunity, where together with BMW, we can deliver more integrated solutions for policing through technology and innovation while still meeting our performance needs.
“The BMW 530d meets our safety and performance standards as it has been subjected to the evaluation tests that underpin our vehicle safety classification system.
“We are looking forward to their delivery and the opportunity to enhance the operational and performance needs of our members.
“BMW has a proven history, used widely throughout Europe as police vehicles, and most importantly is one of the world leaders when it comes to safety in cars.”
Victoria Police is continuing to engage with the motoring industry and will consider a range of vehicle manufacturers and other options for the highway patrol fleet in 2018 and beyond.
To ensure maximum cost effectiveness, the turbocharged, six-cylinder diesel powered BMW 530d was selected. It will be presented to Victoria Police in an entry-level specification, eschewing some of the higher-end luxuries found on the regular production model in favour of a factory-fitted ‘police pack’ which prepares the vehicle for heavy-duty operations.
Similarly-equipped BMW 5 Series vehicles have long been part of European police forces, displaying a high level of technology with ample performance in emergency situations.The first BMW 530d Victoria Police Highway Patrol vehicles are expected to be operational by early-2018.
