Green police cars are too small
* Daniel Knowles
* From: The Sunday Mail (Qld)
* December 25, 2010 11:00PM
http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/green-police-cars-are-too-small/story-fn6ck51p-1225976191898
QUEENSLAND Police have been left red-faced over its choice of new "green" patrol cars.
The service boasts it is going green, taking delivery of 100 hybrid Toyota Camrys. Shame no one checked the boot size. Frontline officers say the boots of the new patrol cars are too small to carry all their essential equipment, including flak jackets and emergency equipment.
They can't put it on the back seats - that's where the criminals go - leaving them little option but to ditch it, or keep it under their feet in the front.
And the front seats are already a tight squeeze for officers wearing accoutrement belts and cargo pants.
The police union said the decision showed how far removed top brass were from the frontline that they could approve cars that aren't big enough to be useful.
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The Queensland Police Service (QPS) boasts about its green car choice in this year's annual report, saying its "smarter vehicle purchases" meant it had "the most operationally suitable vehicles". It goes on to say "green technology continues to be introduced" with "noteworthy development" the Toyota Camry Hybrid being used as a general duties patrol vehicle.
"As part of the Government's policy, the QPS is also required to reduce its production of carbon dioxide by 10 per cent by 2010, 25 per cent by 2012, and 50 per cent by 2017.
"Fleet Management Branch is actively pursuing this through smarter vehicle purchases and the QPS has already achieved the 2010 target," the report said.
In June, the police fleet numbered 2316 vehicles, including 97 motorcycles.
The green car debacle comes after a January audit ordered by senior officers and obtained by The Sunday Mail found 294 police vehicles were doing less than 50km a day.
Vehicles uncovered in the audit included a Holden Commodore sedan on general duties that had done only 7833km in two years, a Ford Falcon sedan with just 18,663km since 2006, and a Mitsubishi Lancer averaging 17km a day.
