FORD is aiming to boost its sales share of the 22,000-strong police vehicle market from its current one third to around 50% in the next 12 months with a range of tailor-made handling packages. A number of UK police forces have been testing high-powered Ford Scorpios with modifications designed by Gordon Spooner Engineering, which has been helping Ford to rally success.

There are no public official figures which reveal the size of the UK police vehicle but Ford's police liaison manager Geoff King estimated the market for vehicles up to four tonnes but excluding motorcycles as being around 22,000 vehicles with forces buying about 7,000 a year.

The police market is dominated by Ford and Vauxhall with Rover, Peugeot and Volvo supplying vehicles although like commercial fleets, the police forces are widening their range with manufacturers such as Porsche also appearing in police livery.