Cops’ £300,000 battle machine designed for ‘action man officers’ unveiled – & bizarre reason why it’s never been used
COPS have unveiled their £282,000 battle machine meant to be driven by “action man officers” – but it’s never been used.
The gas-guzzling 4×4 beasts are used by military specialists in warzones and by police tackling drug cartels in South America.
Yet, Police Scotland’s bulletproof Sandcat has been locked in storage collecting dust for two years.
Insiders have previously claimed the reason it has remained idle is from a lack of officers able to drive it, with regular training needed to operate it.
The force has refused to comment on how many of its staff can use the 4×4 Sandcat.
Police Scotland has seen their intake of officers plummet to their lowest levels in 16 years.
Underneath the Sandcat’s hood lies a huge 6.7-litre V8 engine that only does around nine mpg, which is about as fuel-efficient as an F1 racing car.
Although the armoured car hasn’t seen any action, the force still believes it’s necessary to keep it.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “The specialist vehicle can be used in a number of scenarios linked to a major incident and improves our options to keep people safe.
“While it has not yet been deployed to a major incident, it has been used for training purposes and it provides additional operational capabilities.”
The purchase was authorised by Former Chief Constable, Sir Iain Livingstone.
A year before the bulletproof 4×4 was purchased, a report revealed that the force had around 100 vehicles that were at least 10 years old with more than 100,00 miles on the clock.
The oldest car in their fleet was registered in 1989.
Now, the Police Federation has urged the force to sell the armoured vehicle.
Police Scotland has faced a huge backlash ever since it purchased the “monstrosity”.
A Freedom of Information request found the force spent a whopping £282,240 on the 4×4 but just £12.40 had been spent on the vehicle’s maintenance.
Maggie Chapman, the Scottish Greens justice spokeswoman, said: “Police Scotland must immediately sell this monstrosity and do a full accounting of other significant purchases to ensure another £300,000 of taxpayer’s money isn’t wasting away in a dust-filled garage somewhere.”
The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) added that the vehicle needs to be sold to free up vital cash for the struggling force.
Despite the pleas to dispose of the armoured 4×4, it remains unclear whether the force is any closer to selling their £282,000 Sandcat.
It comes after Met Police officers accused the force of “wasting” £10million on leadership training – despite the soaring crime rate in the capital.
And an investigation last year found pen-pushing police overlords had swallowed up more than £100million of taxpayer cash in the past three years.