thumb|upright=1.3|1960s Morris Minor

A panda car, or just panda, is a small- or medium-sized marked British police car.

History of the term

The term 'panda car' was first used to refer to black police cars with panels that had been painted white to increase their visibility. It was later applied to blue and white police cars.

There is a record of Salford City Police using black and white Hillman Minxes in 1960.

The chief constable of the Lancashire Constabulary referred to the use of blue and white Ford Anglia panda cars in Kirkby in an article in The Times on 26 January 1966.

thumb|[[Ford Anglia#Anglia 105E (1959–1968)|Ford Anglia panda of the 1960s|alt=Ford Anglia car in pale blue paint, with white overpainted doors and roof. The roof also carries a Police lightbox sign and flashing blue light.]]

In 1967, the Dunbartonshire force bought two Hillman Imps (subsequently nicknamed Pinky and Perky) for escort duties on the A82 road; one was blue, the other white. The boot lids, bonnets and doors were then swapped to create a panda car style scheme.

In the 1980s, police cars in the United Kingdom began to be ordered in white to reduce purchase costs, usually with orange or red "jam sandwich" reflective stripes. Today, patrol cars use Battenburg markings or stripes, although many forces still use a mainly white colour scheme. The name panda car or panda is still sometimes used.

Roles

In many areas, the panda car replaced the traditional "bobby on the beat", when it was seen that larger suburban or rural areas could be more effectively patrolled by officers in cars, as opposed to on foot, bicycles, or motorcycles.

The provision of shelter from the weather, and a two way radio, were also benefits.

In the Young Ones episode Interesting, the character of Rick is told by an anarchist that he is going to blow up a Panda in Croydon. Rick responds "Yeah, right on! Bloody zoos, who needs them?" (21.32)

See also

  • Jam sandwich (police car)
  • Black and white (police vehicle)
  • Black Maria

References

Sources

  • Article by the chief constable of Lancashire in The Times (Mobility Answer to Police Shortage (News) Colonel T. E. St. Johnston - The Times, Wednesday, 26 January 1966; pg. 13; Issue 56539; col F)
  • Image of two-tone vehicles used by Salford Police, Manchester, England circa 1960
  • Restored examples of many types of UK police vehicles