What are these type of police cars for?

Question

I often see normal unmarked cars especially the Toyota Prius model with the Metropolitan police symbol written on the sides, what do these type of police staff do?

I know from the past when someone had to come round to take finger prints from my car that they came in a small Corsa combo van with this same police symbol wrote on the side, do the people in the cars that I am asking about also do these sort of jobs or do they deal with other types of police duties?, thanks.

Answer 1

How does a police symbol on the side make it 'unmarked'?

Answer 2

These are for non-emergency staff.

Community Policing (Safer Neighbourhoods) Teams, PCSO's, etc...

Answer 3

they go aorund nebouhood keeepin then safe, at elast they like to think they are

Answer 4

Most agencies use unmarked cars for the investigation, civil process, drug enforcement and warrant service people.  

Answer 5

http://cms.met.police.uk/news/local_poli...

They're used for the "Safer Neighbourhoods" teams.  They help get officers from their base to their patrol beats, and to attend public meetings and surgeries.

They're not used for patrol vehicles, which is usually left for performance diesels.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/08/...

Answer 6

They're used for non-urgent transport purposes, to get neighbourhood beat teams to their areas, to "surgeries" etc.  They're not for patrol or response duties.

Answer 7

could be undercover policeman

Answer 8

they are for chasing all those old people who always speed in their motorised wheelchairs.

Answer 9

CID - Cops in disguise.

They're used for patrolling motorways and things for example, as people don't see normal police cars and break the law.

Answer 10

Sometimes they are just government cars (you'll see them a lot in the Town Hall parking lot for example).  They also are sometimes undercover cop cars.  I did undercover tobacco stings with the local police station when I was 17 and that's what we took to each store.  They also might be Special Police (not a full fledged police officer, but does things like help with traffic and security at a festival, etc).

Answer 11

I think they are the SNT (safer neigbourhood team)

Ours go round in a nice shiney silver honda.

And the plod normally driving it is as nice as the car!

Answer 12

Your typical police car is a Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor.  These cars typically get about 12 to 15 miles per gallon.

It does not make sense to have Officers that have administrative / investigative duties drive one of these, since they are not performing patrol type functions.  Many Departments supplement their fleet with the cheaper vehicles that get better mileage and cost less to lease / purchase.

We typically use Dodge Stratus or Ford Taurus.  Prius is a bit extreme.  

Answer 13

Actually those are just city cars.

Answer 14

They are just used for general non response duties.

They are environmentally friendly and the police are advertising the fact that they use them.

Answer 15

These are just for the more mundane jobs, you see vans with the same that are transporting forensic material around as well. The person/s driving is likely to be police officer but will have done their initial two years on the beat.

Answer 16

i searched 'met police toyota pruis' on google and it turns out they are trying to cut co2 emissions as these cars are eletrical