Awesome Car Collection: Dubai’s Police Dept

If the British Police were to invest in say, a Ferrari or Lambo and state that it was necessary for apprehending speeders, they would be lambasted for flagrant misuse of taxpayers money, publicly humiliated and the Commissioner sacked for allowing something so preposterous to go so far.

Over in the Emirate of Dubai though, things are run a little differently. In the UAE, there are any number of extraordinarily rich people, all with a fleet of rather high performance cars, capable, at least in theory, of doubling the highway speed limit. That being the case, coupled with a government not short of a Dirham or two, there seemed no reason for the Police not to be kitted out with equipment that could keep up for long enough to apprehend the miscreants.

There are now strict punishments for drivers who speed above 124mph, with hefty fines and even potential jail sentences hoping to curb the new young generation of well-off drivers, mostly young men, who see the desert motorways as their own personal racetracks.

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Police officer Mariam Ahmad, was given the Ferrari FF as her patrol car.

“It is the first time I have driven a sports car. When they chose me I couldn't believe it. Driving it is just amazing. It's funny because we hear people begging us to arrest them for any reason, so they can have a tour in the Ferrari. I miss the car when I'm off duty. My Land Cruiser does not compare.”

The city’s police chief, Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, a close friend of the ruling family said in interview with GulfBusiness.com-

"Dubai is a unique city and everything in it should reflect its uniqueness and for that reason police will add a Ferrari sports car to its patrol fleet.” Having paraded the cars in one of their main shopping malls, he added “We have been pleasantly surprised for the reaction of people on the Lamborghini, so we said a Ferrari would be a good choice too.”

Dubai are not the first Police Force however to shell out for an exotic; back in 2004, the Italians purchased a Lambo Gallardo for just such a job.

But there’s another upside to having these cars, a connection to their public that they would never have gained without them. Less of a threat and more a part of the community. Interesting.

So, without further ado, here are the stars of the Dubai Police fleet.

• Mercedes Brabus G63 AMG, 700bhp 4WD

• V8 Chevy Camaro SS 157mph, 0-60mph: 4.3 seconds 2 door

• Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG 6.2-litre AMG V8 62mph in 3.8 seconds top speed 197mph. gull wing, two door.

• $200K Bentley Continental GT coupe- 6.0-litre W12 GT 567hp; 62mph in 4.5 seconds top speed just under 200mph. 2- door- but at least has proper rear seats.

• $300K Ferrari FF -208 mph top speed, 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. Two door.

• McLaren MP4-12C 3.8-litre; 0mph to 62mph in 3.1 seconds. 650bhp. Two door.

• $1.4 million Aston Martin One-77 7.3-litre V12. 760hp; 62mph in 3.5 seconds. Two door.

• $450,000 V12 Lamborghini dh2m Aventador 217mph top speed, 0 to 62mph in 2.9 seconds. Two door.

• Bugatti Veyron. Top speed 260+mph, 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds, two door.

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Interestingly, they also have a Renault Twizy in the compound, presumably for anyone drunk in charge of a golf cart.

It does beg the question though, if having chased down your quarry across the desert at speeds in excess of 186mph, you finally do arrest someone, how on earth do you get them back to the station?