Police equipment and technology
Police vehicle marking
On the road, the police need vehicles and clothing which is distinctive and highly visible at distance. This acts both as a deterrent to wrong-doers and helps improve safety for police and drivers.
Battenburg police car markings
We invented the distinctive ‘battenburg’ blue and yellow block marking or livery on police cars. The development of the livery was based on the principle that the human eye is sensitive to blue-green shades at night and yellow-green in daylight. When put together these colours are highly contrasting. A natural example of this is the contrasting stripes on bees and wasps that make them very visible. Blue and yellow also provide a distinctive livery readily associated with the police.
Police car roof markings
We also provide guidance on marking police cars on the roof so that they are clearly visible, even at night from police helicopters using thermal imaging equipment. This ensures that, for example, during a police chase the helicopter pilots can always distinguish the police cars from any other vehicles driven by members of the public.Motorbike livery
We have recently developed a livery for police motorbikes which you will see on the roads shortly. This is based on the yellow and blue principles established by the ‘battenburg’ livery but is radically different from existing police schemes. Its main purpose is visibility, since rider safety must take precedence, but it is also easily recognisable as a police marking scheme.
Developing livery for pedestrian officers
We are also looking at developing high-visibility clothing to help pedestrian officers to be seen more easily. We have carried out ground-breaking research into this area which will results in standards being published. This will improve the safety of police officers working in dangerous conditions on roads.
