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Cops 'can't fit in' fancy new patrol cars
Published: 16 Apr 12 12:57 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20120416-41971.html
A German police force that spent €25 million on new sporty cars found that not only was the visibility rubbish for chases - the fancy seats were so narrow the cops could not get in while wearing their guns, truncheons and other equipment.
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The Hesse Interior Ministry ordered 800 of the swish new models – Opel's Insignia Sports Tourer – in a long-term deal at the end of 2010. The ministry says that 200 of the cars have been delivered so far, but it is yet to be decided whether the order will be completed.
GdP deputy chairman Lothar Hölzgen accused the ministry of not testing the seats before the order was made.
The limited view through the back window was also a major problem for the police, said Hölzgen. "I need to see out of the back every minute, every second," he said. "That's a safety matter for us."
The ministry insisted that the car had been tested prior to the order. "The results did not point to any lack of suitability for police service," a ministry spokeswoman told regional broadcaster HR. She added that the ministry was aware of the problem.
The Local/DPA/bk
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Your comments about this article:
Criminals shouldn't carry weapons, so it is a good thing that cops do.
such as a dozen Berliners
But Opel really needed the order.
Just tell the Officers that can't fit they can patrol in the old Police model trabants.
@DOZ- What kind of person is afraid of the Policemen's guns? Mostly hubcap poppers and violent criminal types. I'm neither, so give the Polezi the tools they need to do their job.
Whether for the environment or the cost, the vehicles will always change and with it the equipment carried and with that the way it is carried.
None of these police officers should be using the new vehicles without some sort of familiarisation exercise and training in a controlled environment first so therefore minimising the disadvantages against the advantages of new reliable equipment.
But I would imagine that the extra support that those seats give you against sideway forces during a chase should make up for the minor inconvenience.
I have sports seats in my car, and I like to take it for a spin across the hills here now and then... they give you terrific side support on those curvy serpentine roads, much more than the "regular" seats in my old car.