SWAT vehicle

A Tactical Police vehicle, SWAT vehicle, police armored vehicle, or police rescue vehicle is a non-military armored vehicle used by police tactical units to respond to incidents. They are most often in configurations similar to military light utility vehicles, infantry mobility vehicles, or armoured personnel carriers. They are generally designed to have armor that can sufficiently block high-caliber rounds, space to carry the unit's equipment, and sufficient passenger seating; some also allow for additional personnel to hang onto the side of the vehicle in transit.

Production

A Tactical Police vehicles may simply be an unarmored van, SUV or truck used to transport equipment or officers or used as a command post. Other more specialized vehicles may be armored personnel carriers or MRAPs designed allow officers to operate in situations where armed confrontation is likely.

Specialized heavy-duty commercial vehicles can be up-fitted and built solely as Tactical Police vehicles, such as the Lenco BearCat, a popular Tactical Police vehicle used by police forces across North America and worldwide.

Ambulances and armored trucks can also be converted into Tactical Police vans or trucks. De-militarized armored personnel carriers can be used for this purpose, as is the case with the Phoenix Police Department which used an M113 armored personnel carrier as part of its inventory, or the Florida Highway Patrol which has three Cadillac Gage Commandos.

By country

China

One of the most commonly used vehicles of Chinese SWAT is the "Saber tooth tiger" (剑齿虎) infantry mobility vehicle, which is a modified variant of the Ford F-550. It can carry a total of 10 SWAT officers and has multiple firing ports. It costs between 160-180 million RMB and has tear gas grenade launchers, floodlights and protection against M16 and AK-47 rounds. It has also been used by the HKPF.

France

Among other armoured vehicles, the SWAT units of the French National Police RAID and Research and Intervention Brigade (BRI) are equipped with different armoured vans, such as Panhard PVP, former armored cash transport car, and infantry mobility vehicles such as Nexter Titus.

Germany

Armoured police vehicles were first introduced after World War I by German police forces, who had more than hundred armoured vehicles called (German for special automobile). Nowadays the Federal Police and the state police forces still maintain armoured vans, like ''Sonderwagen 4'' and ''Sonderwagen 5''. The federal police recently also ordered the LAPV Enok in addition to its Mowag Eagle and ATF Dingo. The SEK special state police units use armored vehicles like the LAPV Enok and the Survivor R.

Japan

Riot Police Units have been operating some series of , mainly used as mobile shelters and barriers. More heavily-armored vehicles called were introduced in the 1960s. The first deployed model was called Type F-3, based on Mitsubishi's cab-after-engine trucks. They were initially treated as idlers because there are only few reports of gun violence in Japan, but they were highly appreciated during the Asama-Sansō incident in 1972 and their significance were widely recognized.

After several model changes, Type PV-2 based on the Mitsubishi Fuso Canter is now deployed nationwide, mainly for anti-firearms squads. There are also simplified versions called and much larger ; the latter is dedicated to the Special Assault Teams.

New Zealand

The New Zealand Police uses a small fleet of unmarked and armoured Toyota Land Cruisers for matters of nation security or high-risk firearm incidents. The vehicles known as Armoured Special Purpose Vehicles are both bullet and blast resistant designed to blend into normal traffic. Based in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch the Land Cruisers are used by the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) and Special Tactics Group (STG) for operations and incidents across the country. The New Zealand Police have operated vehicles similar since the early 2000, but these Land Cruisers which became operational in 2019 are the first specialist vehicles to be armoured. In 2024 the New Zealand Government invested over $250 million ZDinto police equipment including 55 new specialist vehicles, although the exact number is unknown a small number of these will be Armoured Special Purpose Vehicles.

United Kingdom

Police in the United Kingdom, particularly the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), has a great number of police role armoured vehicles based upon a range of base platforms including the Land Rover Defender and the OVIK Crossway. The internal security situation in Northern Ireland demands that the police operate up to 450 armoured vehicles which are optimised for public order duties. The PSNI uses OVIK Pangolin armoured public order vehicles. UK Police are seeing upgrades within their fleet across the different forces, with West Yorkshire Police acquiring two Lenco Bearcats, popular with United States Law Enforcement agencies.

United States

SWAT units may also employ ARVs (Armored Rescue Vehicle) for insertion, maneuvering, or during tactical operations such as the rescue of civilians, officers, firefighters, and/or military personnel pinned down by gunfire. To avoid detection by suspects during insertion in urban environments, SWAT units may also use modified buses, vans, trucks, or other seemingly normal vehicles. During the 1997 North Hollywood shootout, LAPD SWAT commandeered an armored cash-delivery truck, which they used to extract wounded civilians and officers from the raging firefight with the heavily armed bank robbers.

See also

*Internal security vehicle

References

{{Commons category, Police armored fighting vehicles

Police vehicles
Paramilitary vehicles
Vans