Ford has won a national tender to supply 400 new 5.0-tonne Transit riot vans to the Police over the next four years.
The Protected Personnel Carriers (PPCs) have been converted to new UK specification by Ford’s Qualified Vehicle Modifying partner, Safeguard SVP, and can carry up to 10 police officers, or nine if specified with the single-containment cell, which is either fixed or removable.
Extra storage areas provide easy access to enforcement equipment, such as riot shields and personal protection equipment bags.
A specialist protective windscreen and side windows help protect the occupants of the vehicle if attacked, and mesh guards across the rear light clusters prevent further damage.
The chassis features upgraded hub assemblies, wheels and wider 205mm rear tyres, as well as new uprated brakes on the rear axle, while panel vans also benefit from reinforced upper body structures and ancillaries to support greater cargo weights.
All 5.0-tonne Transit variants are rear-wheel drive and fitted with Ford’s HDT powertrain.
Ford’s 170PS 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine produces up to 390Nm of torque and is coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox or Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission.
Terry Adams, Ford blue light sales manager said: “Our business at Ford is to make our customers’ businesses thrive – in this case, the business is keeping our emergency services safe in the most hostile environments, and our new 5.0-tonne Transit is the perfect tool for the job.
“We’re absolutely delighted to win a four-year tender, placing Transit in a very important role for such an important organisation.”
