A number of specially converted Toyota Land Cruiser Series 300 will soon undertake police duties in Australia equipped with a new kind of vibration siren that makes their presence felt. The latest addition to the District Duty Officer (DDO) police vehicle fleet was showcased by the Queensland Police Service, highlighting the new criminal fighting technology.
The police-prepped Land Cruiser introduces the new “rumbler” siren. In addition to the traditional roof-mounted strobe lights and the high-pitched sound, this kind of siren creates vibrations by emitting low-frequency sound waves from a subwoofer that is mounted behind the grille. This means that even in loud environments, suspects will be able to feel that the police SUV is approaching them, something that will likely prompt them to surrender.
As expected, the interior of the SUV has been retrofitted with a number of tools, communication systems, safety devices, storage solutions, search and specialist lighting, plus command planning equipment. Included in the standard kit is a handheld night-vision device called Reveal Shield Pro which allows officers to locate people or other living creatures at a radius of 50 m (164 feet) via a thermal camera.
More: VW Shows Amarok V6 Prototype Designed For Fire And Rescue Crews
As highlighted by our colleagues at CarExpert, the build is based on the entry-level Land Cruiser GX trim, with a bull bar and extra LEDs attached at the front. The police livery featuring decals with orange, white, and blue shades is applied on a silver-painted bodywork, making it stand out next to civilian Land Cruisers. The ladder-frame SUV was chosen by the Queensland Police as it “can traverse both urban and off-road terrains” while having enough space inside for all the aforementioned gear.
Assistant Commissioner Matthew Vanderbyl said that the Land Cruiser DDO was designed by “the very officers responsible for leading frontline policing” so it is equipped with “everything they could want or need to do their job efficiently and safely”. Note that the duties of a District Duty Officer (DDO) vehicle include responding to priority incidents like public safety matters and taking part in missing person searches, which is why they need to be in direct contact with Polair and the Police Communication Center.
The first Land Cruiser Series 300 with the “rumbler” siren is ready and will start patrolling within weeks. More examples are scheduled to hit the roads across the Australian state of Queensland in the coming months, with local media reporting that the initial order includes 15 vehicles. Other SUV models that have been previously converted to DDOs by the Queensland Police include the Kia Sorento, the Australian-made Ford Territory, and the Toyota Kluger.
