"Fast Response Car" (FRC) is the official term for

police car A police car (also called a police cruiser, police interceptor, patrol car, area car, cop car, prowl car, squad car, radio car, or radio motor patrol) is a ground vehicle used by police and law enforcement for transportation during patrols a ...

s used by the Singapore Police Force, the national

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

force of

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. Prior to 2000, they were known in public simply as "police patrol cars". Fast Response Cars are usually composed of

sedans A sedan or saloon (British English) is a passenger car in a three-box configuration with separate compartments for an engine, passengers, and cargo. The first recorded use of the word "sedan" in reference to an automobile body occurred in 19 ...

. Unlike civilian vehicles in Singapore in which

speed limiter A speed limiter is a governor used to limit the top speed of a vehicle. For some classes of vehicles and in some jurisdictions they are a statutory requirement, for some other vehicles the manufacturer provides a non-statutory system which may b ...

s (speed governors) are installed to prevent over-speeding, Police Fast Response Cars are able to reach their maximum speed potential without hindrance when the need arises. Originally restricted to team leader vehicles during the 1990s, all current FRCs carry a large array of equipment to allow officers to conduct normal policing duties and basic investigative work which officers are expected to perform with the implementation of the Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) system. A typical FRC may therefore stock equipment for the force-opening of locked doors, conducting roadblocks, fingerprint collection, and the provision of first aid. Chemical agent protection equipment and bulletproof vests are also carried for the officer's protection. The Mitsubishi Galant and Opel Astra series of FRCs, which were bought in very limited numbers, were the only police cars in local history to use aerodynamic lightbars. All other police vehicles to date use the block-shaped design.

Fast Response Vehicle

Originally unveiled in 2002 at the Singapore Police Force's annual workplan seminar, the Enhanced Patrol Vehicle Project was presented to highlight the need for police off-road capability. The Volvo V70 AWD XC, Mitsubishi Space Wagon and Mitsubishi Chariot underwent evaluation in various Neighbourhood Police Centres. They also provide bigger storage for additional equipment like undercarriage mirrors. All NPCs were to have at least three of such vehicles eventually, but as of 2006, only 6 have been purchased in total (3 Volvo V70 XCs, 3 Mitsubishi Space Wagons/Chariots). The project underwent several evaluations and in 2004 was re-introduced to the public as the new Enhanced Fast Response Vehicle (FRV), using modified

Toyota Hilux The , stylized as HiLux and historically as Hi-Lux, is a series of pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The majority of these vehicles are sold as pickup truck or cab chassis variants, although they ...

twin-cab diesel pick up trucks, more suited for prolonged heavy use on the roads. Achieving both the original and new requirements of the project, the new vehicles' bigger storage space allows easier storage and retrieval of equipment such as chemical agent protective suits and bullet-resistant vests. The SPF plans to have two of these vehicles at all NPCs. The civilian model of the Toyota Hilux vehicles in use in Singapore is the 2-litre turbo

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

. The SPF uses the Australian 3-litre turbo

4WD Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

DOHC model.

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Fleet

Current

Former

* Mazda 323 BJ * Mazda 323 BH * Isuzu Gemini * Mitsubishi Lancer *

Mitsubishi Galant The Mitsubishi Galant is an automobile which was produced by Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi from 1969 until 2012. The model name was derived from the French word ''galant'', meaning "chivalrous". There have been nine distinct generations with ...

* Nissan Pulsar * Nissan Sunny (B15) * BMW E30 320i (Traffic Police) * Opel Astra * Subaru Impreza WRX (Traffic Police) * Ford Escort * Ford Cortina *

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...

* Volvo S40 (Traffic Police)

Gallery

References

{{Singapore Police Force Singapore Police Force Police vehicles