Nissan keeps British Transport Police on the move

One of the oldest and most distinct police forces in Britain, British Transport Police (BTP), has placed an order, worth a quarter of a million pounds, for 13 specially modified Nissan Pathfinder Treks. Scheduled for delivery this autumn, the deal builds on previous contract wins for the manufacturer among Police Forces nationwide.

The Pathfinders are currently undergoing adaptation at Nissan’s special vehicle operations centre to meet stringent police specifications and have items like sirens, lights and extra racking installed. 12 of the vehicles will be finished in white and carry full Police livery whilst the remaining vehicle will be used for covert operations up and down the country by this increasingly prominent emergency service.

Fitted with a 2.5dCi 174PS engine with 6 speed manual transmission, the Pathfinder is capable of accelerating from 0 to 62mph in just 11.5 seconds whilst remaining amongst the most fuel-efficient vehicles in their class, achieving up to 31.4 mpg on the combined cycle.

Capable of hauling 3 tonnes and providing a flexible interior set up that affords up to 2,091 litres of cargo space, the Pathfinder also offers an unprecedented maximum cargo length of up to 2.8 metres when the front passenger seat is folded down.

Ideally suited to the varied requirements of BTP, the Pathfinder is equally at home on and off-road. Smooth, spacious and comfortable when cruising on longer road journeys, they are practical, durable and easy to handle on rugged terrain. With their lower centre of gravity compared to most 4x4s and Nissan’s award winning ALL MODE 4x4 system, BTP can expect maximum traction, regardless of surface, as it seeks to deal with its typical workload of 130,000 offences annually – many of them down at trackside in rural locations.

British Transport Police, the national police service for Britain’s railways – 10,000 miles of track and 3,000 stations and depots – can trace its history back to 1825 and the origins of the police service itself. It employs almost 3,000 officers and over 1,000 other staff, based across the country in 87 stations. Charged with providing policing to rail operators, their 130,000 staff and passengers throughout England, Wales and Scotland the Force is also responsible for policing the London Underground system, Docklands Light Railway, and a growing number of regional tram systems. Between them, these rail businesses move some six million people and 400,000 tonnes of freight every day and they rely on the BTP for all aspects of policing from crime prevention, counter terrorist patrols to dealing with the aftermath of criminal activity, accidents and fatalities.

The demanding railway environment presents its own very specific policing needs –
anti-terrorist operations, obstructing trains, graffiti prevention, the handling of major incidents and policing of travelling sports fans for instance, and BTP fleet manager, Graham Tillett, believes the Nissan Pathfinders are up to the task. He says: "Our vehicles, just like our officers, have to be excellent multi-taskers. Trackside one minute, dashing across town from one station to another the next, and always prepared to cope with the unexpected."

"They have to carry a lot of equipment and be able to meet every challenge we throw at them. The Pathfinder Treks performed well in tests and surpassed every one of our benchmarks during the search process, proving themselves proper off-roaders as you would expect from a manufacturer like Nissan."

Dave Murfitt, fleet sales director at Nissan, comments: "British Transport Police do a remarkable job and they need a remarkable vehicle fleet to help them do it to the best of their ability. Obviously we believe the Pathfinders fit comfortably into such a fleet. Once more, securing a contract of this nature is important for our brand because of the credibility it bestows. It is also testament to the hard work of our sales professionals who, along with their police demonstration fleet of Pathfinders, an X-Trail, Navara and even a Primastar minibus-derived cell van, have been winning friends and contracts from Forces nationwide."