Northolt siege and those Met Chevy trucks

[CAPP0]

So the Northolt siege has ended without incident, happily. Was surprised I can't find a thread on it already as its run for three days, mass evacuations, etc.

My question however is much more PH-centric. Several pictures show the police using those Chevrolet trucks that seem to roll out for major incidents. One on an 02 plate, one on an 05, so they're no spring chickens, although they may not have been used much. My question is: what are they for and why the ancient Yank technology? Why do they hang on to them? Presumably a newish Transit or similar could do the same job? Or are they perhaps armoured to POTUS-spec?

Can't post an image due to rules but if you go to the BBC News site, they're there.

[saaby93]

These?

[jsc15]

Jankel Guardians

Met have 16 of them, inc some at Heathrow, according to this thingy from 2013....
http://www.met.police.uk/foi/pdfs/disclosure_2013/...

[aeropilot]

CAPP0 said:

My question however is much more PH-centric. Several pictures show the police using those Chevrolet trucks that seem to roll out for major incidents. One on an 02 plate, one on an 05, so they're no spring chickens, although they may not have been used much. My question is: what are they for and why the ancient Yank technology? Why do they hang on to them? Presumably a newish Transit or similar could do the same job? Or are they perhaps armoured to POTUS-spec?

They Ford based not Chevy......

And yes, armoured floors and windows and other stuff like that.

Why the yank, well, they are built like tanks, still on proper truck chassis, so makes for an easy conversion by such specialist vehicle companies.

Transit.....

[Deptford Draylons]

They probably do next to no miles each year. Used to see them quite a bit at the Met training center in Gravesend doing mock street battles

[davepoth]

Based on the F450, which is a heavy duty truck with a payload of around three tonnes and a towing capacity of fifteen tonnes. It's a bit tougher than a 2.2 TDi Transit.

[MarshPhantom]

Saw a group of about 10 of these piling up the A2 when the rioting was happening. Loud.

[CAPP0]

Thanks all. Could have sworn one of them had the yellow Chev cross on the grille.

[V88Dicky]

Looks like they're ballistic protection vehicles, means the police can go into most firearms situations and actually deploy from them and use them as hard cover

[Nick Grant]

I remember the morning after the 2011 riots they rolled into Croydon and spent a couple of days driving around keeping people in check. Shame they weren't in action the night they were needed.

[Hugo a Gogo]

aeropilot said:

CAPP0 said:

My question however is much more PH-centric. Several pictures show the police using those Chevrolet trucks that seem to roll out for major incidents. One on an 02 plate, one on an 05, so they're no spring chickens, although they may not have been used much. My question is: what are they for and why the ancient Yank technology? Why do they hang on to them? Presumably a newish Transit or similar could do the same job? Or are they perhaps armoured to POTUS-spec?

They Ford based not Chevy......

And yes, armoured floors and windows and other stuff like that.

Why the yank, well, they are built like tanks, still on proper truck chassis, so makes for an easy conversion by such specialist vehicle companies.

Transit.....

this one's a Chevy

[Gecko1978]

I am pretty sure a photo on the front of these showed one of them to be Chevy based also. I also recall them being used in the riots v cool looking things perhaps a bit OTT for day to day policing even at say a football match but shows when the going gets tough we do have some seriouse bits of kit without having to put tanks on the streets.

Lets hope ED209 is the next development haha

[aeropilot]

Hugo a Gogo said:

aeropilot said:

CAPP0 said:

My question however is much more PH-centric. Several pictures show the police using those Chevrolet trucks that seem to roll out for major incidents. One on an 02 plate, one on an 05, so they're no spring chickens, although they may not have been used much. My question is: what are they for and why the ancient Yank technology? Why do they hang on to them? Presumably a newish Transit or similar could do the same job? Or are they perhaps armoured to POTUS-spec?

They Ford based not Chevy......

And yes, armoured floors and windows and other stuff like that.

Why the yank, well, they are built like tanks, still on proper truck chassis, so makes for an easy conversion by such specialist vehicle companies.

Transit.....

this one's a Chevy

They UK firm that builds/supplies them must have changed over base models at some point from GM to Ford.
Probably why there is a largeish reg gap on a small fleet.
Early reg ones are GM, later ones Ford...?

[CAPP0]

Well at least I'm not going senile! (Yet).

[Riley Blue]

CAPP0 said:

My question however is much more PH-centric. Several pictures show the police using those Chevrolet trucks that seem to roll out for major incidents. One on an 02 plate, one on an 05, so they're no spring chickens, although they may not have been used much.

You think they're old, Green Goddess fire engines were being used in 2002 during the firefighters dispute; they went out of production in 1956.

[Dogwatch]

Riley Blue said:

You think they're old, Green Goddess fire engines were being used in 2002 during the firefighters dispute; they went out of production in 1956.

These trucks could be around for a while then!

I know it's 'traditional' for coppers to shelter behind their patrol cars but I'd rather something more solid with today's weaponry.

[stripy7]

Nick Grant said:

I remember the morning after the 2011 riots they rolled into Croydon and spent a couple of days driving around keeping people in check. Shame they weren't in action the night they were needed.

Yes, saw a convoy of these driven at speed through central Brixton at that time. "Rolling deep" as per local parlance.

[Trevatanus]

Dogwatch said:

I know it's 'traditional' for coppers to shelter behind their patrol cars but I'd rather something more solid with today's weaponry.

I used to know a chap was a copper with Hampshire. Was saying that he was told by someone who was at Hungerford that they were sheltering behind car doors, only to find out later that one of the Weapons Ryan had could well have taken the car door off.


(no idea if that was true, he could be a little "creative" at times.)

[Zoon]

Trevatanus said:

I used to know a chap was a copper with Hampshire. Was saying that he was told by someone who was at Hungerford that they were sheltering behind car doors, only to find out later that one of the Weapons Ryan had could well have taken the car door off.


(no idea if that was true, he could be a little "creative" at times.)

I'd take the chance behind the door rather than standing in the open.

[fathomfive]

They could have put the number plate on straight.