Bulletproof, blast resistant SUVs now part of NZ Police’s vehicle fleet

December 9, 2019

Police are set to introduce new bulletproof and blast resistant in unmarked Toyota SUVs to better protect officers on dangerous jobs.

The three Armoured Special Purpose Vehicles have been fitted with ballistic – bulletproof and blast resistant – armour to provide specialist police with greater protection when they are deployed to major national security events or high-risk firearms incidents, police said in a statement.

The specialist vehicles will not be used for normal patrol.

The Toyota Land Cruisers will be based in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch and will deploy across the country as required. They are expected to be operational during December.

Police said the vehicles provide protection for staff in the same way their ballistic body armour does.

"The vehicles will be used at incidents where there is a requirement for our staff to have an extra level of protection.

"Examples of previous incidents where the vehicles would have been deployed are the Napier siege in 2009, and in a shooting incident in Whangarei in 2017 where two people lost their life and police were fired on as they tried to get to the victims."

The vehicles do not carry arms, however staff in the vehicles will be armed with police firearms, as is standard practice for these specialist staff when they are deployed.

The budget for the three vehicles, training, and ongoing maintenance is $1.23 million.

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