Add CategoryThe Northern Territory Police has started rolling out its new vehicles, but they have quite got the reaction from the public the organisation was hoping for.
Yesterday pictures of the new “high performance” Kia Stinger was posted to the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services Facebook page.
“IT’S STINGER SEASON. Don’t get stung by new police vehicles,” the post read.
“The Northern Territory Police Force has begun the process of replacing its Holden Commodore SS fleet with the new high performance Kia Stinger.”
The car’s decals have also been redesigned, which Commander Matt Hollamby from the Road Policing Command said might mean people won’t recognise them as police vehicles at first.
But it wasn’t the new model or the different decals that caught people’s eye, it was the number plate.
The vehicle shown in the Facebook picture had a number plate that read “WATCHNU” and social media users were quick to mock the choice.
“They’re still just ‘watchn’ us and never ‘servn’ or ‘protectn’,” one Facebook user said.
“The condescending number plate is the cherry on top,” another wrote.
One asked: “Who was the plonker that came up with that plate?”
But not everyone was against the cheeky number plates, with other social media users praising the police for having a bit of fun with it.
The territory’s Road Policing Command will be receiving seven Stingers which will progressively replace all Commodores currently in operation.
“Holdens and Fords have been standard road policing vehicles in the NT for the best part of 50 years but now that they are not manufactured, it’s time for us to look at an alternative,” Mr Hollamby said.
“Members in the Road Policing Command provided input into alternative options and selected the preferred design which was completed in-house.”
Darwin residents can expect to see more of these new vehicles out and about on the streets.
With Easter coming up there will be more police out ensuring people are safe on the roads over the long weekend.
“Last year we lost 50 people on our roads,” Mr Hollamby said.
“We have recently established the Road Policing and Regional Support Command which includes all traffic operations units throughout the Northern Territory.
“Units in Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs are now operating in a more co-ordinated and streamlined way with the aim of improving road safety.”