Thursday 7 July 2022

‘EVs not the right road for Police,’ says PCC

Electric vehicles (EVs) are not suitable for tackling crime, as their batteries go flat too often.

That’s the view of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Chris Nelson for the Gloucestershire Constabulary, claiming the cars “run out of puff” and for response rates to rise, police cars need to change.

Gloucestershire’s previous PCC was a big supporter of pushing the electric revolution, leading to the Constabulary having the largest full electric fleet in the country – 435 vehicles, making up 21% of their fleet.

However, PCC Nelson has stated that many officers have found it difficult to recharge their cars, given the lack of infrastructure in place around the county.

He said, “we've all got to go towards electric vehicles moving forwards”, however, “the design options available for electric vehicles for operational uses are not perhaps as advanced as I would like them to be.”

He affirmed his support for climate goals and cutting emissions but that his job and priority was to cut crime and that if EVs proved a hindrance it would be better for the force to not use them.

The Police has one of the largest fleets by percentage size in the UK.