Retired police car gets ‘hot hatch’ upgrade

The Roads and Armed Policing Team have repurposed a car from the existing fleet to create a new engagement tool. The vehicle, a Hyundai i30N, will appear at many events throughout the coming year including the Great Yarmouth Wheels Festival and Royal Norfolk Show. This will be alongside regular appearances at local car meets.

This project builds on the work of Operation Octane which works to prevent, deter and tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) involving the use of vehicles. Operation Octane has already led to a 9% reduction in vehicle related anti-social behaviour.  

Whilst we appreciate that prosecution is an important element of our work to reduce vehicle related ASB, we also understand how valuable engaging with a community can be.

Officers understand that performance and appearance are very important to car enthusiasts but modifying your vehicle without the right knowledge can be illegal and more importantly, dangerous. We will be able to use the car to demonstrate which modifications can be achieved within the limits of the law. The aim will be to encourage car enthusiasts to think about legal options available to them and encourage safer driving.

Funding for the street legal modification of the car has been provided by the Safety Camera Partnership. The Safety Camera Partnership’s aim is to improve road safety and reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in vehicle-related collisions.

Some of these modifications include:

• A full colour wrap in ‘Envy Green’
• 19inch matt black alloy wheels, wrapped in new Goodyear Tyres
• A Maxton body kit - Front splitter, side skirts, rear diffuser and extended roof spoiler
• 32inch monitor fitted into the boot for educational presentations
• Upgraded intercooler, full induction kit, turbo inlet valve, oil cap and gear knob

Inspector Will Drummond, from the Roads and Armed Policing Team said: “I am really excited about this project. We wanted to find a way to open up the channels of communication between us and the car enthusiast community.

“The car is a great way to encourage people to come over and have a chat with us. It is through these conversations that we can spread the message of road safety.

“As a force, we have previously used loaned super cars in a similar way however we thought it was important that we use a car that the everyday enthusiast has access to.  By seeing how we have legally modified this vehicle, we can provide a good example to the community and work to reduce the issue of anti-social behaviour.”