U.K. Police Purchasing 2,000-Plus Vauxhall Vehicles

Vauxhall signs one of the U.K.’s biggest police-fleet deals with more than 2,000 vehicles, including 1,200 British-built Astras, destined for 28 law-enforcement agencies across the region.

No price figure is given, but the General Motors subsidiary says the 2-year, multimillion-dollar contract also includes Corsas, Insignias and British-built Vivaro vans, as well as six fire and rescue-services vehicles.

Vauxhall says the huge order cements its position as the largest provider of low- and intermediate-performance cars to the police, with a 60% share of competitive markets.

All Astra models can be equipped with OnStar technology which keeps the car connected via satellite and cellular networks, turning the vehicle into a high-speed 4G LTE mobile hub with connectivity for up to seven smartphones or tablets.

OnStar includes a police-spec ignition block that can be triggered remotely if a vehicle is stolen.

West Midlands Police’s director of resources David Wilkin, the national policing lead for the procurement of the vehicles, says a purchasing collaboration between police forces and partners on this scale never has been seen before.

“It has been a huge success in terms of the savings made and how well the organizations have worked together,” Wilkin says in a statement.

“The success of this group builds on the achievements of a large-scale vehicle-procurement project led by West Yorkshire Police earlier in the year. While cost is clearly a driving factor, the most important aspect is that these vehicles need to be the safest ones available for our staff and the public.”