VDL Bus & Coach to convert new patrol cars for the Dutch national police as subcontractor to Mercedes-Benz

VDL Bus & Coach to convert new patrol cars for the Dutch national police as subcontractor to Mercedes-Benz

Valkenswaard, Netherlands, 12-Dec-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — VDL Bus & Coach will carry out the conversion of new patrol cars for the Dutch national police as a subcontractor to Mercedes-Benz. The conversion work will be done at VDL Bus Venlo. The agreement between the police and Mercedes-Benz was signed at the NIDV Symposium & Exhibition in Rotterdam on Thursday 30 November. This includes the delivery of 1,250 converted cars of the type Mercedes B Class. These vehicles will replace the current patrol cars, which are based on the Volkswagen Touran, starting in 2018.

In the coming four years VDL Bus Venlo will initially convert 875 vehicles into fully-fledged police vehicles for Mercedes-Benz. VDL Bus Venlo will supply various components for the remaining 375 vehicles that are being converted by another company. The monetary figures associated with the order will not be disclosed. The new cars converted by VDL Bus Venlo will be equipped with light and sound equipment, vehicle graphics and high-quality communication and navigation equipment, and the boot will be fitted out to accommodate the standard police equipment.

Workflow 
Later, the number of Mercedes-Benz vehicles to be converted by VDL Bus Venlo may be expanded, resulting in a continuous workflow with a maximum duration of seven years. The intention is that the first converted vehicle will be delivered to the national police via Mercedes-Benz in late February 2018.

VDL Bus Venlo has delivered many custom-made vehicles for the Dutch national police. Over the last year the company has been hard at work on the conversion of the first of a total of 256 crowd- and riot-control buses. Deliveries of these vehicles began in February 2017. To make the conversion process as efficient as possible for this order, which is the largest vehicle conversion order in VDL history, a production line was used for the first time. The base vehicle for the crowd- and riot-control bus is the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.

Strategy 
Managing Director Mark Francot of VDL Bus Venlo says, “The conversion of the ME buses and these surveillance vehicles for the police is in line with the strategy of growing our Special Vehicles department. If we do well, we may be considered for the conversion of even more police vehicles. That would provide great continuity to our organization.”

Police 
The Dutch national police force consists of ten Regional Units, the Central Unit and the Police Services Centre. The main structure of the police has three, closely collaborating levels: national, regional and local. The Force Command, supported by the Commissioner’s Staff, operates at the national level. At operational level this also applies for the National Constabulary, which performs more intraregional and specialized police tasks, and the Police Services Centre which comprises all the business administrative and support services. The ten other units operate at regional level. These units are broken down into local districts, which consist of basic teams, the district investigative service and a flex team.

SOURCE: VDL Bus & Coach bv

VDL Bus & Coach bv
Marcel Jacobs
Director Sales
+31 (0)40 208 44 00
m.jacobs@vdlbuscoach.com

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