Drive through free coffee shop set up for emergency services. (pic heavy)
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For all the blue light and other emergency services, the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge, London set up a drive through coffee shop for the emergency services to stop by for a free cuppa.
Good mix of vehicles and services, police on cycles, motorbikes and horses as well s the usual cars.
Horses are catered for too with apples.
((pictures from BEV on Facebook with pictures taken by David Nathan @DRNimages1))
Also, the yellow dots on the windows, body, etc... denotes that it carries weapons and ammunition.
The red police vehicles are PaDP (Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection, formed in the merger of the DPG aka SO6 (Diplomatic Protection Group) and the Palace of Westminster Division aka SO17.
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@svend so don't mess with the cops in the red vans, got it
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a bit too far for me to go for a free coffee
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@svend Question: What is the public perception of police in Britain compared to US? Did the hotel get any backlash for doing this? Good for the hotel for doing this but here in the US, it would have been seen as a political statement.
Comment: BMW F800GT motorcycles look great in police trim.
What we obtain too cheaply we esteem too lightly.
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@pip-bip
Ye', though they are almost only found in London.
A few groups you don't mess with, PaPD,CTSFO (Counter Terrorism Specialist Firearms Officers)
Which come under SO19 Specialist Firearms Command.
Outside the capitol we have armed officers.
Then there's CNC (Civil Nuclear Constabulary) around nuclear installations and transport of nuclear materials.
((these are allowed to shoot and ask questions later))
Then there's the SAS who can deploy anywhere via helicopter aka Blue Thunder.
Here in Cumbria scaring the crap out a driver in dense fog. Lol.
The SAS and CTSFO can and have responded together, such as Manchester and London.
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@krustywantout said in Drive through free coffee shop set up for emergency services. (pic heavy):
@svend Question: What is the public perception of police in Britain compared to US? Did the hotel get any backlash for doing this? Good for the hotel for doing this but here in the US, it would have been seen as a political statement.
Comment: BMW F800GT motorcycles look great in police trim.
it's mixed but mostly a view of them being useless which isn't totally their fault as they are severely underfunded, it's rare for me to see a patrol car in my town, so many people speed due to lack of patrols
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@krustywantout
The police is predominantly welcome here, there are some that may of had a bad experience (speeding tickets, stopped for whatever reason) with them for one reason or another but most that don't like them are because they've been arrested by them or see the laws as something that don't apply to them.
The hotel wouldn't of had any backlash and many have applauded the emergency services who are doing their best at a bad time.
This isn't and wouldn't be seen as political at all over here, just people saying thank you to the emergency services.BMWs are common for motorbikes and cars here.
R1200RT
F800GS
F800GT
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@samv8
Ye', the police take the brunt of reduced government funding and people not being convicted because CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) deem it, 'not in the public interest to convict', 'think that there isn't sufficient to get a conviction if trial), etc... so the police take the blame for some going free. -
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@svend Notice the hilllside next to the copter that was higher than the copters? That was scary low.
Also I notice them Brit constables like BMW's don't they....
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@racinbob I think there was a sole contract as BMWs were the only choice of police car for awhile but there is such a variety now such as Vauxhall Astras, Volvos, Audis, Skodas, some offroaders such as defenders, Mitsubishi L200
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@racinbob
That helicopter was at Kirkstone Pass, here in Cumbria.
We like BMWs, but also use Fords, Skodas, VWs, Vauxhalls, Mercedes,
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@samv8
Up here in the north, Skodas have really found a footing.
Ours are almost entirely Skoda, Volvo, Ford and a few Vauxhalls.
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@svend not seen any black cars with battenburg down here, ours is still mostly bmw and vauxhall
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@svend said in Drive through free coffee shop set up for emergency services. (pic heavy):
Having driven a truck-based box ambulance and a van ambulance, I can say that these van-based box ambulances are better in 99% of cases. More comfortable in the cab, easier to drive, easier to maneuver with less overhangs... and you can walk through to the box or vice versa if the need arises.
Wish they were more popular in the US.
Rust connoisseur. 2009 Chevy Malibu LT
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@svend Our local town police and RCMP vehicles are all either newer Ford Tauruses or Ford Explorers. The local town police has a Dodde Durango SUV as well, and the local RCMP also have a Chevy Tahoe SUV.
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@winterlegacy
Many of the Mercs aren't walk through and just box on cab chassis.
The Fiats, you could walk through.
The older Mercs were walk through.
Some of the new ambulances are box bodies to take more equipment and accommodate 'larger' casualties.
But ambulances, paramedic and first responder vehicles come in all shapes and sizes here.
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@svend Yeah, I've seen quite a few from my time roaming the Internet. In the U.S., the Mercedes vans aren't walk-throughs, but you can snag the usual suspects in walk-through configuration.
Ford has been trying to push the Transit in the direction of replacing the age-old E-series vans, but I have yet to see box bodies put on the cutaway Transits. Ford has an image on their website of a cutaway being used as an ambulance, so it's clearly possible...
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@rallydarkstrike
Ye', Ford pretty much has a monopoly on police vehicles in North America.
Here, each constabulary picks what vehicles they want depending on their needs and requirements.
We are getting more and more Skodas added to the fleet which was predominantly Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot and BMW with a few Skodas and a few Volvos*.
The BMWs took over from the Volvos ack in 2010, but the Volvos are making a come back now.
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@winterlegacy At least in my area, Sprinter vans are quickly becoming the preferred choice for new ambulances. The rural ones will always be based on Express vans, just because of price and ease to work on, but in the suburban area, Sprinters are becoming much more common.
83 Honda Urban Express
03 Ford Ranger
07 Lexus ES350 -
@dtg11 Yeah, in my area, box ambulances are still based on either the Express or an F-series pickup. Going into the city, everything becomes a Sprinter, except for one or two which seem to get loaned out to nearby departments when their normal ambulance is in for a service.
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@svend
The Tauruses the RCMP use:
The Explorers (which are starting to take over from the Taurus). First, the older ones:
Then the newer gen (right) and the facelifted newer gen (left):
This Tahoe is like the one our local RCMP office uses:
The local Town Police Tauruses:
The local Town Police's Dodge Durango:
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@winterlegacy I've never quite understood all those F350 based ambulances. A nearby hospital uses Mercedes Sprinter conversions but in Atlanta proper they're all F350s. No idea why.
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@svend said in Drive through free coffee shop set up for emergency services. (pic heavy):
Ford pretty much has a monopoly on police vehicles in North America.
I still see plenty of Dodge Chargers. Most are indeed Ford Police Interceptor Utilities (modified Explorer) but you get some variety. Used to be you got a few Chevy Caprices from when they were a fleet only rebadged Holden Statesman. You also get the occasional Tahoe and Suburban in lieu of an Explorer.
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@winterlegacy
You know, now you mention it. That's something I haven't seen for sometime, a Ford Transit ambulance.
