Boys in blue go green
Scotland Yard will add 250 alternative fuel cars to its fleet within the next year as part of a larger plan to reduce the environmental impact of its vehicles within cities.
In London, where air pollution is a growing concern, the Met Police wants half its cars to be hybrids by next year, and it also working with Suzuki and Toyota to introduce hydrogen fuel-cell scooters and cars in various pilot schemes.
Jiggs Bharij, the head of the Met’s fleet services, said: ‘We have an ambition to deploy 250 alternative energy cars, vans and motorcycles on the road within the next 12 months.
‘To support this we need to make sure that there are charging points available across the estate and that the vehicles are capable of carrying and powering additional police equipment which enables officers and members of the public to remain safe at the scene of an incident.’
He added that the Met had stopped buying diesel cars in 2015 and was talking to a long list of manufacturers about testing greener cars for police use.
He said, ‘The Met is leading the way certainly in the police sector. Our aim is to make the fleet as clean as we can whilst maintaining operational capability and we are working with the mayor on his new low emission zones and the fleet deployment will complement the low emission neighbourhoods.
‘These first vehicles are a stepping stone that will allow us to build the volume over time once we have the right technology and infrastructure in place.’
