HMCS specifies modified Citroen Dispatch Combi 6 vehicles for trial project

As part of a multi-agency programme, Her Majesty’s Courts Service (HMCS) has just ordered 21 specially modified Citroen Dispatch 2.0HDi Combi 6 vehicles, capable of carrying a number of Court Enforcement Officers, together with up to two offenders in a secure cell unit. Citroen and Kinetic Special Vehicles Ltd have worked closely with HMCS to develop the specification for these vehicles, which are also fitted with air conditioning.

To meet the requirements of this programme - which involves HMCS, the Crown Prosecution Service, the National Offender Management Service and Police forces nationwide - the standard Dispatch Combi 6 has been equipped with a modular, slide-in, two person cell unit. This is normally accessed through the vehicle’s rear doors, although evacuation into the central cabin and out via either side sliding door is possible. In the main area, the Dispatch Combi 6’s 3+3 seat arrangement is retained to allow up to six Court Enforcement Officers to be carried.

The slide-in cell unit, developed by Kinetic Special Vehicles, requires minimal alteration to the Dispatch Combi 6. This achieves a key objective: it can be easily removed and transferred to another vehicle, ensuring that it has a minimal effect on the residual values of the Citroens at the end of their service life.

The trial programme sees the first 21 vehicles based at courts throughout the North West of England. In service, the modified Dispatch Combi 6 vehicles, crewed by Court Enforcement Officers, are used to execute warrants and transport offenders to courts, police stations or prisons. The use of these vehicles is expected to provide a safer, more secure and efficient means of carrying this out when compared with the current use of Court Enforcement Officers’ own vehicles.

In service with HMCS, the Dispatch Combi 6 vehicles have a planned operational life of at least four years. If the trial programme’s expected innovations and good practices are successfully achieved, it is planned to roll out the programme to courts and police force areas throughout England and Wales from April 2007 onwards. As such, this could mean the acquisition of a substantial number of further vehicles.

Police Inspector Kevin Keen, of the National Enforcement Service Programme, comments, “We looked at a wide range of vehicles for this trial. The compact Citroen Dispatch Combi 6’s ability to seat six, with room for a two person containment cell, and competitive pricing were key factors. Also Citroen and Kinetic Special Vehicles worked hard to deliver the specification we needed to meet our operational requirements. The resulting vehicles will make it safer for Court Enforcement Officers, more cost efficient in operation and provide greater security for the carriage of offenders.”