Off-road police vehicle for remote areas, PCC says

A police force's new 4x4 will help officers access remote rural locations more quickly and effectively, a police and crime commissioner has said.

Dorset Police's new Suzuki Jimny will be used by its rural crime team to strengthen its off-road capability and access previous hard-to-get-to areas.

David Sidwick described it as a "compact but highly capable" vehicle that would "access remote farmland, tracks and off-road locations that standard police vehicles simply can't reach".

"For many of our rural communities, speed and accessibility can make all the difference," he said.

"Whether responding to reports of poaching, hare coursing, theft of agricultural machinery or other rural offences, this new vehicle will help officers get to where they're needed more quickly and effectively."

PC Chandler Organ, a member of the rural crime team, said: "We do have Ford Rangers. They're heavy vehicles.

"The Suzuki Jimny will be a much more capable vehicle when it comes to off-roading."

He said the vehicle would also come in use when dealing with missing persons investigations or heath fires.

"It also allows us to patrol those locations proactively as well, rather than just reactionary," he added.

The force's rural offering also has access to drone teams, rural mounted volunteers, and a dog unit.