A panda car , or just panda , is a small- or medium-sized marked British police car .
7-656: The term 'panda car' was first used to refer to black police cars with panels that had been painted white to increase their visibility. It was later applied to blue and white police cars. There is a record of Salford City Police using black and white Hillman Minxes in 1960. The chief constable of the Lancashire Constabulary referred to the use of blue and white Ford Anglia panda cars in Kirkby in an article in The Times on 26 January 1966. In 1967,
14-428: A mainly white colour scheme. The name panda car or panda is still sometimes used. In many areas, the panda car replaced the traditional "bobby on the beat" , when it was seen that larger suburban or rural areas could be more effectively patrolled by officers in cars, as opposed to on foot, bicycles , or motorcycles . The provision of shelter from the weather, and a two way radio, were also benefits. The panda
21-555: Is distinct from the "area car", a larger and more powerful vehicle which acts as support to the beat constables , usually carrying two officers. Current usage within the Metropolitan Police Service uses the term "panda car" to refer specifically to a marked car driven by a basic driver (i.e., one constrained to drive within normal traffic rules, and who may not use the vehicle's siren). This contrasts with an IRV (immediate response vehicle) which could be exactly
28-687: The Dunbartonshire force bought two Hillman Imps (subsequently nicknamed Pinky and Perky ) for escort duties on the A82 road ; one was blue, the other white. The boot lids, bonnets and doors were then swapped to create a panda car style scheme. In the 1980s, police cars in the United Kingdom began to be ordered in white to reduce purchase costs, usually with orange or red " jam sandwich " reflective stripes. Today, patrol cars use Battenburg markings or stripes, although many forces still use
35-554: The force was abolished and, along with Manchester City Police , became part of the new Manchester and Salford Police . This new force lasted only 6 years when on 1 April 1974 the Manchester and Salford Police was amalgamated with a number of other police forces and parts of police forces to form the Greater Manchester Police which polices the area to this day. William James Richards was the only holder of
42-466: The police force responsible for policing the borough (later city) of Salford , near Manchester , England from 1844 through to 1968. Prior to Salford gaining city status in 1926 the force was called Salford Borough Police . In 1851 the force consisted of 39 police officers at an annual cost of £2,500. On 1 April 1968, as a result of a compulsory amalgamation scheme under the Police Act 1964 ,
49-401: The same vehicle but driven by a response driver (i.e., one trained and permitted to disregard certain traffic laws and use the siren, as one would normally expect from police vehicles). The callsign attached to the vehicle for the duration of the shift should normally make it clear whether it is functioning as a panda or IRV at the time. Salford City Police Salford City Police was
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