ŠKODA cars in police livery

The Czech carmaker is a traditional supplier of police vehicles: in the Czech Republic alone, it has delivered more than 20,000 vehicles to the police since 1993.

But ŠKODA cars in the service of men and women of the law can be found in many parts of the world. And sometimes they have special modifications, such as handy submachine gun holders. 

Czech Republic

There are currently 865 third-generation ŠKODA OCTAVIA police cars on the roads in the Czech Republic. In addition to the classic beacons, stickers and other features, their special equipment also includes massive tubular frames. These were developed as a tool to protect the police car crew during car chases and they are particularly helpful in the so-called PIT (pursuit intervention technique) manoeuvre. The frame is mounted on a reinforced front bumper, has a black powder coating and weighs 19.8 kilograms. It can safely force off the road or stop a car weighing up to one tonne and at least sixty centimetres high.

United Kingdom

Cars with blue flashing lights have been used by the British emergency services for over 110 years. In 2020, ŠKODA will deliver 491 OCTAVIA, SUPERB or KODIAQ to them. As the British police move with the times, the first ŠKODA electric SUV joined the fleet this year. The ENYAQ iV in police livery can travel up to 535 kilometres on a single charge, and an almost empty battery can be recharged to eighty per cent capacity in 38 minutes.

New Zealand

ŠKODA recently won a tender held by the New Zealand police, so this year the company will supply them with 355 vehicles, with a further 450 to 500 vehicles per year to follow over the coming four years. The models being supplied is the ŠKODA SUPERB COMBI with 206 and 162 kW engines and the ŠKODA KODIAQ delivering 132 kW. The New Zealanders are also considering the hybrid ŠKODA SUPERB iV.

Armenia

The police force in the capital city of Yerevan has purchased 150 ŠKODA OCTAVIAs this year, marking the first deployment of ŠKODA vehicles as “front-line” patrol cars in the country. The cars will be fitted with more powerful batteries, LED beacons, 360-degree searchlights and other special gear.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Sarajevo police bought their first ten ŠKODA OCTAVIAs in 2018, followed a year later by another hundred for the national force. 

Bulgaria

The Bulgarian police have a total of 344 ŠKODA RAPIDs, which are specially equipped with a higher-capacity battery and a more powerful alternator, although these are all standard factory spec parts and not a customised solution.

Finland

Marked and unmarked ŠKODAs have been serving in the Land of a Thousand Lakes for several years. Some 180 cars are used for police operations, while the police administration also has 32 “civilian” cars without police equipment. The ŠKODA models used in Finland are the ŠKODA OCTAVIA and SUPERB. The local police force commissions local companies to modify them by installing radar, cameras, special radios and, of course, beacons and stickers. 

France

ŠKODA FABIA, KAROQ, KODIAQ, OCTAVIA and SCALA models are all used by the French police, with nearly seventeen hundred vehicles delivered in the last three years.

Georgia

ŠKODA police cars also patrol the streets in Georgia. After several hundred cars that have entered service here in the past eighteen years, Georgian officers recently took delivery of 80 new generation ŠKODA OCTAVIA models. The Georgian police have also been reinforced this year by four new ŠKODA SCALA models.

Italy

On the Apennine peninsula you can find several hundred ŠKODA OCTAVIAs and SUPERBs covered in police livery. The Italian police have bought almost eleven hundred of them since 2012. Some of the interesting features include a submachine gun compartment between the front and rear seats, a special equipment organiser in the boot and advanced communications and GPS technology.

Israel

Several hundred ŠKODA OCTAVIAs and SUPERBs have been in the service of the Israeli police during the past five years, both as patrol cars and unmarked cars.

Lithuania

Lithuanian police officers have been driving ŠKODAs since 2008 and don’t have a bad word to say about them. They use around 200 OCTAVIA, YETI and SUPERB vehicles with traditional police equipment, including grille partitions and modified rear sections.

Latvia

In Latvia the police drive 52 ŠKODA OCTAVIAs and 37 ŠKODA SUPERBs, many of them serve as unmarked vehicles for traffic control.

Austria

ŠKODA vehicles have been part of the equipment of the Austrian police since 2006. The ŠKODA OCTAVIA COMBI 4x4 and the ŠKODA KODIAQ, also with all-wheel drive, make up most of the fleet of around twelve hundred vehicles. Other OCTAVIAs and SUPERBs serve as civilian vehicles. Interestingly, the police acquire the cars on three-year to four-year leases – so one important factor is that the police equipment is installed “non-invasively” and can be easily removed without trace.

Serbia

More than two and a half thousand ŠKODA OCTAVIAs or SCALAs equipped with sound and light signalling equipment or special radios can also be found on Serbian roads.

Spain

Dozens of ŠKODA OCTAVIAs and KAROQs a year have been delivered to the Spanish police since 2018.

Ukraine

ŠKODA RAPID, OCTAVIA, SUPERB and KODIAQ models can be seen on Ukrainian roads. The Ukrainian police have taken delivery of over twelve hundred of them over the past three years.