Ford’s new five-tonne Transit converted for use by UK police

Ford has revealed the police-converted five-tonne Transit that will be used as a Protected Personnel Carrier by forces across the country.

Known officially as PPCs, or colloquially as riot vans, they have been converted to new UK specification and can carry up to 10 police officers, or nine if specified with a single-containment cell.

Additional storage is also available for riot shields and personal protection equipment bags.

The announcement comes as Ford has won a tender to supply 400 vehicles to forces nationwide over the next four years.

The vehicles are prepared by Ford’s Qualified Vehicle Modifying partner, Safeguard SVP. They have a five-tonne payload and come with additional weight-bearing protection on the roof, underbody, fuel tank and more. Other upgrades include an under-bonnet fire suppression system and run-flat tyres.

Specialist protective windscreen and side windows protect occupants from attacks, and a mesh guard on the rear lights helps prevent damage. Because of the extra payload capabilities, many mechanical upgrades have been fitted to compensate, such as wider wheels and better brakes.

Performance comes from a 2.0-litre diesel engine making 168bhp and 390Nm of torque, coupled to a six-speed manual transmission.

Terry Adams, Ford blue light sales manager, said: “Our business at Ford is to make our customers’ businesses thrive – in this case, the business is keeping our emergency services safe in the most hostile environments, and our new 5.0-tonne Transit is the perfect tool for the job.

“We’re absolutely delighted to win a four-year tender, placing Transit in a very important role for such an important organisation.”