FORD has unveiled a major new preparation facility for police forces offering bespoke vehicles ready to go straight into service. The centre, called Special Vehicle Preparations, in Wethersfield, Essex is capable of preparing up to 2,500 cars and vans a year. Its opening signals the start of a sustained effort by Ford to increase its share of the police fleet market.

'We are confident SVP will give us a clear edge over the competition and provide police forces across the country with a solution to their vehicle supply problems,' said fleet director Mike Wear.

Ford will offer special mechanical preparation facilities - including rally-bred suspension systems to restore excellent handling characteristics when running with boot loads up to 180kg and upgraded brakes designed to cope with extreme usage conditions. British police forces run about 27,000 vehicles - including 22,000 cars and vans which are replaced at the rate of 5-6,000 a year. Ford says its share of that market is 40%.