SKODA_Storyboard_3200x480_banner_ELROQ_animace-EN_40b205ba

SKODA_Storyboard_2050x480_banner_ELROQ_animace-EN_9df3b916

SKODA_Storyboard_1600x480_banner_ELROQ_animace-EN_23274338

Nudge and spin. Police Kodiaqs in action

Nudge and spin. Police Kodiaqs in action

“Now we’re in touching distance, so brace yourselves and let’s do it. The main thing is to have full lock and just give it a slight bump,” says the police officer at the wheel. After an unnoticeable impact, the Octavia in front of him starts to spin before ending up at the side of the road.

14. 12. 2023 Škoda World

When the Police of the Czech Republic took delivery of the first 50 specially modified Škoda Kodiaqs, they organised a demonstration of the PIT manoeuvre, which stands for Precision Immobilisation Technique or Pursuit Intervention Technique. The Kodiaqs, which will be used by the traffic police and first-response units, are prepared for this manoeuvre not only by a special safety frame, but also by training their crews.

The PIT manoeuvre consists of a police car nudging the side of the pursued vehicle behind the rear wheel so that the car spins and comes to a stop. We were able to test how this works in the passenger seat of both the police car and the “bad guy’s” car.

From the “bad guy’s” perspective

First we get into a Škoda Octavia, which is acting as a car being chased by the police. Before the pursuing Kodiaq nudges us, we discuss the circumstances of the manoeuvre with the driver: “People have the idea that the driver will be swerving and won’t allow the manoeuvre, but the reality is different. The driver being pursued is focused on himself, he isn’t really watching the police car’s every move. He’s stressed out, he needs to keep his eyes on the road ahead, he needs to get his braking right when turning, and these are moments when a police officer can use the PIT manoeuvre,” explains David Varchola, police training methods expert.

DST0412_5b922a43.JPGThe PIT manoeuvre puts the fleeing car into a spin.

He adds that in the vast majority of cases, officers try to perform the manoeuvre at lower speeds of up to 60 km/h, when the risks associated with a possible secondary impact of a spinning car are minimal. “The situation must always be assessed by the officer in terms of the specific circumstances, however,” stressing that the execution must be safe. And now the Octavia is spinning. No impact, just the slightest of nudges, and the car is already spinning over the road. For someone who has been through skid training, it doesn’t really seem dramatic at all. It shows how little is actually required.

Police Škodas around the world

From the police’s perspective

From the perspective of the pursuing car, however, the situation is not simple. “There mustn’t be a collision. You need to get within touching distance and spin into the car you’re pursuing,” explains Josef Jeřábek, a driver of a police Kodiaq from Prague’s Motorised Emergency Unit, who helped introduce the method in the Czech Republic. What’s surprising for an observer is really how much the police officer has to turn the steering wheel to really put the car in front of him into a skid – almost full lock. According to Jeřábek, there’s another reason for this besides the transfer of force: “I basically have to sort of drive through the car I’m spinning. I can’t have it spinning in front of me,” he says.

DST0509_c3d6ae62.JPGThe demonstration of the PIT manoeuvre attracted a lot of press attention.

After performing the manoeuvre, the officer immediately turns and comes up behind the spun car to touch it from behind. On the test track it looks different, but in practice this is how he usually blocks the other car, making it impossible to drive on because the spun car ends up in a ditch, by a guardrail, a wall etc. The police car pins the pursued car to an obstacle after performing the manoeuvre. “That’s why we perform the manoeuvre. We stop reckless drivers who might injure or kill someone if they continue driving. We want to make sure they don’t keep driving,” Jeřábek says.

Not just a frame

The cars police officers can perform the PIT manoeuvre with are equipped with special frames. The Octavias previously supplied to the police have them, and so do the Kodiaqs modified for the police. “It was an honour for our technical development to develop this protective frame according to the specifications and needs of the Police of the Czech Republic,” says Martin Jahn, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing. “The frame design is based on our practical experience and ensures maximum energy absorption from these manoeuvres so that forces are not transmitted to the vehicle’s load-bearing parts. It’s a more durable and robust solution than the one used by the US police we learned the PIT manoeuvre from,” says Jeřábek, praising the effected solution.

Martin JahnMartin Jahn
Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing

DSC0519_d7eec336.JPGThe Czech police is adding specially equipped Škoda Kodiaqs to its fleet.

The practical demonstration only confirms this. Even though the Kodiaq performed the manoeuvre on the test polygon perhaps twenty times, the test car is absolutely fine apart from a few scratches on the front bumper. Even the pursued Octavia, which always got hit in the area behind the right rear wheel, looks in surprisingly good shape after these repeated manoeuvres. That shows both that the Škodas are resilient cars, but also that this technique for stopping a fleeing car is as non-violent as possible. According to the officers, the PIT manoeuvre itself is the supreme use of the frame, which is otherwise mostly used to block cars and other similar activities.

In addition to the frame, the typical police livery and the obligatory beacons and siren, the new police SUVs have other special equipment: there are radios, additional interior lighting, extra USB connections, a 230-volt socket and a notepad holder on the front of the passenger sun shade. “These are practical little things based on our daily needs and findings. In the past, we didn’t really have anywhere to write down the registration number of a flagged-up vehicle so that we could have the number in front of us all the time,” says Jeřábek. Another special feature is the seat belt in the rear seats, which is fastened outwards, so it has the clasp by the door. This is so that the police officer does not have to reach across a person’s body when restraining him.

DST0217a_21ed15a3.JPGIn 2023 the Czech police took delivery of more Škoda Kodiaqs.

There are also special compartments on the back of the folding backrests of the rear seats. Here traffic cops keep a binder for necessary paperwork and other equipment, and the first-response patrol cars have a compartment for long guns. Folding down the seats gives quick and easy access to these items, as the boot of the car is also usually full of equipment. There are fire extinguishers, a defibrillator and other devices and basic first-aid equipment. “These patrols have arrival times of up to five minutes in urban areas and usually up to ten minutes in rural areas. In all emergencies they tend to be the first ones there, usually arriving at the site before the ambulance, so they know how to give first aid and they often perform rescue work in smoke-filled buildings,” says Czech Police President Martin Vondrášek, explaining what all the equipment is for.

profimedia-0794256732-copy_0cd45979 Martin Vondrášek
Czech Police President*

Untraditional Kodiaq

The special Kodiaq for the Czech police uses the engine and brakes from the RS version, so it has a two-litre four-cylinder petrol engine delivering 180 kW of power, DSG automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The car’s chassis is raised, however, and the 18-inch wheels have conventional metal rims, which are more durable than alloy wheels. Needless to say, the interior is designed with practicality in mind, so you won’t find sports seats, but the car has an adaptive chassis and plenty of other useful features. But because of the eventuality of using the PIT manoeuvre, the police Kodiaq doesn’t have Front Assist that would prevent such manoeuvres. The Kodiaqs currently entering the service of the Czech Police are the most advanced police car Škoda has developed and delivered to date. In total, the Czech carmaker has delivered more than 23,000 cars to the Czech police since 1993.

DAL2028_85ebe552.JPG

*Photo: PETR TOPIČ / MAFRA / Profimedia

Media Box

26 images
Show more Show less