Holden has just moved 300 cars ahead of arch rival Ford, with the announcement that it will be supplying paddy wagons to the Victoria police.
A total of 290 new divisional vans will be gradually deployed as part of a fleet update over the next two years.
Holden is supplying 250 purpose-built two-door divisional vans based on the Colorado 4×2.
These vehicles are custom designed for Victoria Police to include increased ground clearance to improve visibility and create a better vantage point for police to patrol the streets.
The new divisional van also features six airbags in the passenger compartment and a custom-designed rear pod.
The rear pod is a fully self-contained, secure two-person transport module and this new model features an additional camera in the custody compartment providing 360-degree monitoring and recording of persons in custody, as well as air conditioning built into the custody compartment.
Holden will also be supplying 40 custom 4×4, four-door divisional vans equipped with bull-bars and winches that will be deployed to regional Victoria to provide off-road driving capability.
Holden sales director, Michael Filazzola, said Holden’s engineers have worked collaboratively with Victoria Police to create a vehicle that is not only designed specifically for Australian conditions but is the safest vehicle possible to protect their frontline members.
“The Holden Colorado offers Victoria Police the leading safety and performance attributes needed for modern policing he said.
“We’re excited to see the new ‘divvy vans’ out on the road and we’re sure Victorian police officers will enjoy driving them.”
The divisional vans will be rolled out gradually from February 2018 and the four door vehicles are expected to be on the road from mid-2018.
No pics of the inside of the custody compartment (guess they’re reserved for customers).