Police vehicles in the United Kingdom

Incident response vehicles (IRVs) are used by UK police to respond to emergencies and to conduct proactive patrols.

There are, however, a number of armed response vehicles (ARVs) in each police force area in which authorised firearms officers are carried.

[1][2][3] During the 1960s-70s, many police forces started buying foreign cars due to the unreliability of domestic vehicles.

[6] Most roads policing vehicles are rated as 'high-performance', requiring traffic officers to undergo additional driving training to the 'advanced' standard.

They are usually higher-performance vehicles similar to those in RPUs but operated by officers on response teams who respond to general emergency calls.

[7] Some Metropolitan Police Special Escort Group officers and Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection also use motorcycles.

Larger vans are also used to act as mobile control room at major incidents, and may also carry specialised equipment such as hydraulic door entry and cutting tools.

Police cars, vans and minibuses may have aerial roof markings that help aircraft crew identify them.

Aircraft are fitted with an array of surveillance, navigation and communication technology to help them with a wide variety of tasks.

The standard crew in a police helicopter consists of two tactical flight officers (TFO).

Not only do these units police the waterways, but they also maintain a capability for waterborne rescue, usually in co-operation with HM Coastguard.