Startling research conducted by the Liberal Democrats has exposed a troubling trend in police vehicle reliability, with incidents of breakdowns reaching over 10,000 in 2023. The research, conducted through Freedom of Information requests to various police forces, underscores the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in England and Wales.
The figures unveiled by the research indicate that police vehicles broke down on average 29 times a day in 2023. The Metropolitan Police, the largest police force in the country, bore the brunt of these breakdowns, reporting a staggering 16,091 incidents since 2019. Suffolk followed with 9,875 breakdowns, while Norfolk recorded 8,780 incidents. These statistics point to significant concerns regarding the reliability of police vehicles throughout the nation.
