Wikipedia

Police vehicles in Hong Kong

Police vehicles in Hong Kong are vehicles of the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), vehicles differ considerably depending on the duties of the departments that the vehicle is assigned to. One of the most commonly seen police vehicles in Hong Kong is the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter police van, which is mostly used by district stations and the Emergency Unit, one of the roles expected of it is rapid response to 999 emergency calls with regards to road safety and public safety.

One of the most commonly seen police vehicles in Hong Kong, a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van.

Current vehicles

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A Hong Kong Police Force Traffic Division Mercedes Sprinter van with Battenburg markings.

Most police vehicles in Hong Kong follow the British "jam sandwich" livery and are white, with a blue and red 3M retroreflective stripe around on the sides of the vehicle with wording "警 POLICE 察" in white. Traffic division vehicles are in white, with blue and lime Battenburg markings on the sides of vehicles, and the wording "警 POLICE 察" in lime on a blue background. Armoured personnel carriers specially designed for the Police Tactical Unit, are wholly dark blue and with wording "警 POLICE 察" on a light blue background in white on the sides of the vehicle. During British rule and up until the 1980s Hong Kong Police vehicles were painted dark navy blue, which is only retained by tactical APC today. Most police vehicles in Hong Kong are equipped with both red and blue emergency vehicle lighting. The vehicles which are allocated at the Hong Kong International Airport having an additional yellow emergency vehicle lighting and yellow roof top. All police vehicle are government property and therefore, have a licence plate which starts with "AM".

Since 2008, the Hong Kong Police Force have brought in the use of Battenburg markings for new police vehicles of the regional traffic branches. Traffic police vehicles the HKPF use typically are made by Mercedes Benz, BMW and Honda, making purchases of BMW motorcycles in 2001, Honda motorcycles in 2005, and 235 BMW motorcycles in 2011.[1][2]

The Hong Kong Police Force also have unmarked police vehicles in order to catch and arrest criminals in act of crime. Such vehicles include the discreet high performance BMW 5 Series 535i Touring car, Infiniti Q70S and the unexpected Toyota Camry (XV 70) 2.5 . The force operates unmarked police vehicles for surveillance to gather evidence of any criminal offence. In addition, for security purposes, armoured cars specially designed for the VIP Protection Unit (Hong Kong) and bulletproof tactical police vehicles specially designed for the Special Duties Unit have no markings also.

The HKPF acquired six "Saber-Toothed Tigers", armoured vehicles to address riots, from the Guangzhou-based car company Huakai Vehicles in 2022.[3][4]

This is a list of current vehicles (incomplete):

Patrol vehicles

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Traffic branch vehicles

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Armoured vehicles

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Personnel carriers

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Retired vehicles

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Following the Second World War, Hong Kong Police vehicles, with exception of motorcycles were generally painted in "battleship" grey. The livery changed to dark 'navy' blue following the Queen's bestowment of the "Royal"title to the force in recognition of their services during the 1967 Communist disturbances. The Royal Hong Kong Police crest was also displayed on the vehicle. This livery remained standard until the 1990s when white and black/navy blue; black/navy blue with a white roof or white with a red stripe and blue pinstripes came into being.

This is a list of retired vehicles (incomplete):

References

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  1. ↑ Tang, Pak-leung 鄧栢良; Yeung, Yuen-ting 楊婉婷 (2016-08-20). "交警「大馬」將退役　「哈利」戰車下周起公路「試陣」" [Traffic Police's "Big BMWs" Set to Retire; "Harley" Patrol Bikes to Begin On-Road Trials Next Week]. HK01 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2026-05-14. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  2. ↑ "香港警队斥4000万购宝马电单车 单价近17万(图)" [Hong Kong Police Force Spends HK$40 Million to Purchase BMW Motorcycles; Unit Price Nears HK$170,000 (Photos)] (in Chinese). China News Service. 2011-02-15. Archived from the original on 2026-05-14. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  3. ↑ Liu, Zhen (2022-05-28). "Explainer | New Hong Kong police anti-riot 'Saber-toothed Tigers' ready ahead of city's 25th handover anniversary". South China Morning Post. Factiva SCMCOM0020220528ei5s0008h. ProQuest 2670556436. Archived from the original on 2022-05-28. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  4. ↑ "新車消息｜「劍齒虎」服役 香港警隊裝甲車 五代解構" [New Vehicle Update｜"Sabretooth" Enters Service: A Breakdown of the Hong Kong Police Force's Armored Vehicles. Five Generations Examined]. Headline Daily (in Chinese). 2022-06-01. Archived from the original on 2026-05-14. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  5. ↑ Parry, Simon (2016-01-24). "Hong Kong's Saracen armoured police cars on patrol in small-town England". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 2016-01-24. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
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