Britain’s ageing police fleet demonstrates chronic underinvestment in vital services

EMBARGO: IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A Freedom of Information request by the Liberal Democrats has revealed the true picture of Britain’s ageing police fleet. In a snapshot, data from 28 police forces across the country shows: 

• England’s oldest police car is 36 years old and belongs to West Yorkshire Constabulary 

• Five police forces have police cars that are 20 years or older

• 1,531 police cars across the country are over 10 years old, while 6,000 are between 5-10 years old

• One in seven of Avon and Somerset’s fleet is over 10 years old and over one in eight in Hampshire is over 10 years old

• Surrey has the fewest ageing cars with just 1% of their fleet over 10 years old

These figures show a desperate situation of chronic underfunding in police forces across the country, which could be leading to an impediment of operational efficiency. 

The Liberal Democrats believe the Police, who are doing their best to keep communities safe, should not be faced with a lack of investment which forces them to rely on equipment that is not fit for purpose. 

Commenting on these figures, Liberal Democrats Spokesperson for Home Affairs Alistair Carmichael MP, said:

"People would be shocked to learn that the police still own a vehicle from 1986. When the car was first registered, Lionel Messi hadn’t been born, the Pet Shop Boys were topping the charts and Google was still a decade away from invention. How can a car past its prime be reliable in an emergency?

“Of course the Police need to maximise their resources, but their fleets are not the place to cut corners. To ensure crucial parts of their jobs, like high-speed chases, are safe, the police should be using modern, fit for purpose vehicles, not cars older than the people driving them. 

“Our police forces do a fantastic job 24/7, especially around the festive season, keeping our communities and families safe. But this Conservative Government has run their budgets into the ground, squeezing them on from every angle and making it harder to do their jobs effectively. 

“Police must have their budgets restored and the Government must ensure each force has access to equipment that is state of the art and can function exactly as required in an emergency.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Full table of police forces fleet data (also available to view here in excel):