Even though our state police forces may not have fancy vehicles such as the ones with the Dubai Police, they sure have a few specialised vehicles that help them to navigate through the toughest terrains safely. Which are these vehicles? Let’s find out.
Polaris Crew 800
The Polaris is an American company that specialises in making All-Terrain Vehicles. The Kerala Police have four such Polaris Crew 800 in their patrol vehicle range, which they acquired to fight the Naxals. However, they are currently being used for beach patrolling as the cops found them to be unstable and too loud to fight the Naxalites. Currently, the six-seater Polaris Crew can be seen on many beaches in the state of Kerala. The Crew 800 is a CBU and costs around Rs. 18 lakhs.
ATVs
The Tamil Nadu Police has a division called the Coastal Security Group (CSG) that uses All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) to patrol the beaches. These are 12 specially designed ATVs in the police force. These are 500-cc ATVs imported from Hong Kong. They are designed to move at a maximum speed of 20 km/h but are capable enough to cross the loose beach sand without any problem.
Renault Sherpa
The Renault Sherpa is not used by the state police but they are used by the NSG to help the state police. Recently, the vehicle was stationed at the Delhi airport after threats were picked up. The Sherpa used by the NSG is a fully armoured vehicle, which means that it can stand heavy firing and even land mines. The huge Sherpa is powered by a 4.76-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that generates a maximum of 215 Bhp and 800 Nm of torque. It can accommodate up to 10 personnel in a 2+8 configuration. In a fully loaded state, the vehicle weighs 11 tons and can reach 110 km/h. It has a range of 1,000 km.
Mahindra Marksman
The Mahindra Marksman is used by many state police as a riot-control vehicle. It is India’s first light bulletproof vehicle that can withstand heavy firing and can protect against hand grenades too. Even the floor of the Marksman is armoured so that the landmines and hand grenades slipped under the vehicle cannot harm it. It gets a 2.5-litre CRDE engine that generates around 105 Bhp and 228 Nm. The vehicle can haul 3,200 kg of maximum weight and can seat up to 6 people. The Marksman can go up to 120 km/h. Mahindra also exports the Marksman to Chile where the defence and paramilitary forces use it.
Sealegs boat
Mumbai Police acquired a range of amphibious vehicles to patrol coastal regions, called the Sealegs, that can move on roads as well as water without any problem. This ensures high mobility for cops. Mumbai Police has a specialised unit that operates such vehicles. The Sealegs can be often seen at the beaches of Mumbai.
Sealegs car
Mumbai Police also has the Sealegs car that gets as many as 8 wheels and can seat up to 4 people. These vehicles provide better agility than the boats and have higher speeds too. However, their mobility and range are limited in the sea. On the other hand, they can move quicker on land, giving them an edge over the boats.
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