Relax, this Porsche Cayman GT4 decked out in police livery is not for pulling people over or engaging in highway chases.
Donated to the Norfolk Constabulary by the Lind Trust, a charity that supports the development of youths in Norwich and Norfolk in the United Kingdom, the GT4 is more or less a PR prop for the police department. It will be used to help the public engage with the police about road safety—in particular, the car is supposed to grab the attention of young drivers.
In a press release, the department said:
Young drivers are disproportionately represented in fatal and serious collision statistics; in Norfolk over the last five years 61 young drivers have lost their lives while 504 suffered serious injury.
Chief Constable Simon Bailey said: “Engagement and education are vital elements of the work on road safety undertaken by roads policing officers. I’m confident the use of the Porsche will help break down barriers and enable officers to speak with young drivers and provide road safety advice.”
He added: “The GT4 will certainly attract a lot of attention – but that’s the whole idea. We hope the car will act as a conversation starter, which gives us the opportunity to engage with people, but more importantly those hard-to-reach groups like young drivers, and offer practical advice as well as describing what can happen when things go wrong.”
The Norfolk police said they will bring the GT4 to places where “car enthusiasts are known to gather,” as well as to school and colleges throughout the country in order to maximize awareness.
I’ve seen typical cop cars parked at Cars & Coffee events and they’re kind of a killjoy. Don’t get me wrong—they’re totally necessary—but they always felt like intruders. This Cayman is cool and it’s a positive way of opening talking points between the police and the public.