Cutting-edge tech Vauxhall Astra Police cars on trial with Hertfordshire Constabulary- Latest Panasonic Toughpad tablet, touch screen centre console and 4G broadband
- PM David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May wowed by Vauxhall tech
- Senior Herts officers order 50 vehicles to have technology retro-fitted immediately
Luton – A fleet of ten crime-busting Vauxhall Astra Police cars bristling with cutting-edge technology is to go on trial with Hertfordshire Constabulary.
The vehicles feature the latest crime-fighting technology including a Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1, the first fully rugged tablet with Windows 8 Pro, an 8.4-inch high resolution multi-touch touchscreen monitor developed by KME and a 4G compatible broadband router enabling high-speed internet connectivity.
Thin and weighing just 1.1kg, the Toughpad can be used on the move or docked in to the Astra’s glove box allowing officers to work on the touchscreen monitor, located in the centre console. The KME monitor is the world’s first Windows 8 compatible touchscreen designed for use in a car. It features advanced multi-touch compatibility, recognising two or more points of contact, enabling advanced functionality such as pinch and zoom. High-speed broadband, available through the Westbase router, gives officers up to an extra two hours in the field.
Pending the success of the trial, senior officers at Herts Constabulary are due to fit 50 Vauxhall Astras already in service with the new technology.
Hertfordshire Constabulary is the first force to use this ground breaking tech which offers everything officers could want from a mobile police station. The futuristic Vauxhalls even caught the eye of Prime Minister David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May when they viewed prototypes of the cutting-edge Astras earlier this year.
“We are delighted that Hertfordshire Constabulary is taking ten Vauxhall Astras on trial and have placed an order to retro-fit 50 vehicles with this cutting edge technology,” said Dick Ellam, Vauxhall’s Special Vehicles Manager. “Efficiency is a top priority for both the Government and Hertfordshire Constabulary and the investment made in these Vauxhalls will mean officers spend more time in the field fighting crime.”
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Vauxhall is renowned for pushing the envelope in Police car technology after winning a challenge set by the Association of Chief Police Officers two years running. This year Vauxhall romped to victory with a crime-busting Astra featuring a myriad of futuristic technologies including facial recognition hardware and a revolutionary Ampera extended-range electric vehicle last year.
Police fleet market leaders Vauxhall developed all these vehicles at their base at Millbrook Proving Ground, Bedfordshire. If you think that you’re seeing more Vauxhall Police cars on the roads these days, you would be right: Vauxhall is the number one supplier to Police fleets with an 80 per cent market share of competitive segments.
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