Found this intering bit:
It there Already a National Police Car?
Prior to 1978, there was no alternative for the Australian police forces but to purchase whatever available standard production vehicles best suited their requirements. Any modifications were an individual ’after market’ arrangement.
In 1978, representatives of the Ford Motor Company of Australia approached the New South Wales Police Service with an offer to build a ’Police Special’ sedan.
Consultation with each of the other Australian police forces soon followed. Eventually, the forces were able to agree upon what fittings and modifications should be standard items in the ’Police Special’. The ’Police Special’ entered production in 1978 and materialised in the form of the ’Falcon’ family size, six, or eight cylinder sedan. General Motors–Holden
introduced a similar option in the 'Commodore' sedan around 1981. The vehicle
enhancements form what is now known as the Police Pack, which consists of:
· An upgraded suspension suitable to high speed driving;
· 15 inch steel wheels;
· high speed rated tyres;
· a heavy duty all wheel disc braking system;
· an electrical/electronic system specially modulated so as not to cause
interference to police radios and other speciality items, and a system which
conversely cannot be affected by the police items;
· increased alternator output so as to accommodate the use of the police
speciality items; allied with a large heavy duty battery;
· battery couplings for the connection of police speciality items;
· apertures in the firewall and in the rear seat housing to allow installation of
cabling for police speciality items;
· manually-operated map reading lights, and disconnection of the automatic
door courtesy lights;
· map pockets;
· full dashboard instrumentation;
· an incremented speedometer, which is calibrated to the accurate detection
of speeding offences to the satisfaction of courts;
· additional automatic transmission oil cooler;
· removal of the transmission ’gate’ between drive and second gears, to
facilitate quick gear selection at speed;
· individual and ergonomic design front reclining seats, with lumbar support,
and lateral and height adjustments on the driver’s seat;
· separation of the front seats by a full length console which incorporates a
floor mounted ’T-bar’ gear shift;
· a long-range fuel tank allowing a minimum driving range of 450 kilometres;
· an optional V8-configured engine of around five litres capacity and an
optional limited slip differential for pursuit vehicles; and
· optional air conditioning.
Virtually all Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore sedans purchased by the New
South Wales Police Service are fitted with the Police Pack. The enhancements have proved most successful in New South Wales and there is universal recognition and appreciation of the benefits.
The standard Police Pack is reasonably priced at under $A1000 per unit and both Ford Australia and General Motors–Holden regularly consult the New South Wales Police Service as to the suitability of the Police Pack. The manufacturers convene a conference of representatives of each Australian police force if the Police Pack will be affected by major vehicle model changes.
Conclusion
· The Police Pack equipped Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore sedans already
constitute a national police car.
· Each Australian police force has ample opportunity to request improvement
of the Police Pack to suit any additional needs.
· The Police Pack is comparatively inexpensive and has proved successful.
· The Police Pack equipped sedans are suited to general duties, pursuit duties
and plain clothes duties.
· An acceptable range of colours, options and engines—and station sedan versions for equipment carrying—are available.
· The Police Pack equipped vehicles have a good resale attraction.
· The availability of the Police Pack equipped sedans does not restrict flexibility in the choice of vehicles for Administrative and Welfare, Surveillance/Undercover, or Executive purposes.
· While the Police Pack equipped vehicles do not incorporate all possible items,
the Australian economic climate precludes the immediate need for an exclusively designed and built ideal national police car.
Warren Hill Fleet Management Services New South Wales Police Service
http://www.aic.gov.au/publications