9 May 2011

Canberra gets a beast! Behold the Lenco Engineering Armoured Rescue Vehicle.

| johnboy
Join the conversation
33
beast

Commonwealth Attorney-General Robert McClelland and Member for Canberra Gai Brodtmann have announced the handover of an Armoured Rescue Vehicle to ACT Policing. (Simon Corbell was meant to be there, but as a mark of how sudden today’s events have been had to bail for the Chief Minister’s swan song.)

Mr McClelland said the vehicle was built in the United States by leading international manufacturer Lenco Engineering at a cost of approximately $400,000.

“These types of vehicles are amongst the best of their type in the world,” he said.

“These ARVs are used in dozens of countries as part of high risk policing activities. They are designed to be bulletproof and blastproof and are specifically manufactured to protect police in very hostile situations, or help with the safe rescue of hostages or injured personnel.

“The vehicle will also provide additional counter-terrorism capability.

Very impressive, but one wonders why they didn’t just pick up some Bushmasters?

UPDATE: Thanks to Sammy for pointing us at a promo video for these things.

The trouble with those little gun ports is every figuring out what you’re supposed to be shooting.

Join the conversation

33
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

New replacement Chief Minister but it’s not an RC RV.

Something else for the kids to climb over at the canberra show.

I want to see the Lenco ManBearPig at Summernats, dispensing justice (and capsicum spray) to drunk bogans en masse!

Cripes, I know what I want be to riding in when the Zombie Apocalypse comes!

georgesgenitals10:11 am 10 May 11

I understand these things do a SICK burnout!

Captain RAAF said :

gospeedygo said :

Send it for nightly patrols down Tuggers way perhaps?

At least it would be safer there than at Gunghers!

Ms Massey could take it for a spin to the shops and claim self defence

Matt Orford has expressed interest in buying one of these for getting to and from Raiders home games.

looks tough. Hopefully it will never need to be used to it’s full capacity.

Captain RAAF8:07 am 10 May 11

gospeedygo said :

Send it for nightly patrols down Tuggers way perhaps?

At least it would be safer there than at Gunghers!

#3 said “we are the last jurisdiction in Australia to not have some sort of armoured police vehicle”.

Not by much. SA Police received their first armoured vehicle this month.

Apparently the EM-50 “Urban Assault Vehicle” was also considered.

Wow, so next time the SWAT team come around our flats will I see this MACHINE???

shadow boxer said :

Is it just me or are our security agencies seriously overfunded and just looking for excuses to spend capital.

Overfunded? You must to be joking. Maybe under the Howard government. These days it’s more responsibilty using less money.

creative_canberran8:34 pm 09 May 11

GottaLoveCanberra said :

… if they’re going after someone with the capability to disable this vehicle the police won’t be using this vehicle, they’ll get something bigger!

Chuck Norris?

GottaLoveCanberra said :

LSWCHP said :

The manufacturers website says the crew compartment is proof against 7.62 AP and .50 BMG, but what about the tyres?

It looks to me like a bloke with a rifle could disable it before it could get near enough to use that nifty gas insertion probe thingy.

Probably using run-flats at which point if they’re going after someone with the capability to disable this vehicle the police won’t be using this vehicle, they’ll get something bigger!

Anyway, if it saves the life of just one copper in a siege situation then I think it’s 400k well spent.

Definitely +1 on that. I hope it’s never used in anger.

Is it a right hand drive version?

Keijidosha said :

Should be useful for the zombie apocolypse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS8KXHBCimo

Thas was my first thought as well.

GottaLoveCanberra5:36 pm 09 May 11

LSWCHP said :

The manufacturers website says the crew compartment is proof against 7.62 AP and .50 BMG, but what about the tyres?

It looks to me like a bloke with a rifle could disable it before it could get near enough to use that nifty gas insertion probe thingy.

Probably using run-flats at which point if they’re going after someone with the capability to disable this vehicle the police won’t be using this vehicle, they’ll get something bigger!

Anyway, if it saves the life of just one copper in a siege situation then I think it’s 400k well spent.

The manufacturers website says the crew compartment is proof against 7.62 AP and .50 BMG, but what about the tyres?

It looks to me like a bloke with a rifle could disable it before it could get near enough to use that nifty gas insertion probe thingy.

Shoulda canned it and given 1.4 to the raiders.

I bet this will have all those watch-how-I-can-negotiate-a-roundabout-without-turning-the-steering-wheel-even-a-single-degree heroes green with envy.

I don’t know what we ever did without it. Now I’ll feel safe from the terrists and be able to sleep at night.

And that music – so inspiring. It provides an uplifting musical portrait of the fine, wise people who decided that this was the best way to spend $400k.

Should be useful for the zombie apocolypse. Although these guys built the same thing for less than 1% of the cost:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS8KXHBCimo

I reckon it’ll be USED quite a lot, but NEEDED never.

Meanwhile, if anyone wants to see actual police doing normal police stuff, try speeding on that new bit of road exiting qbn to the coast. The steepish bit. There is a plod there every day, either lurking near the old Kingsway entrance with a hairdryer, or doing laps, waiting. Usually in a dark blue bling-mobile.

They are catching a lot of people. it’s rather entertaining, wondering if the car or bike who just went past is speeding or not, to have that confirmed as the Plod-wagon lights up and goes after them.

Meanwhile ACT police have outsourced this sort of thing to fixed cameras and public servants in white vans while they prance around in military-style RVs.

gospeedygo said :

Send it for nightly patrols down Tuggers way perhaps?

for the drive through Maccas runs and picking up the 5’10” mobile phone thuggies in Monash

colourful sydney racing identity3:07 pm 09 May 11

shadow boxer said :

They could load it up with the AFP Jet ski’s and park it down by the lake. On a given signal the doors could fly open and out come the jet skiers in full tuxedo’s before flying across the lake to stealthily join 007 at the ASIO garden party to open their new citadel.

lol
I will be interested to see how long before it is needed – and I mean really needed rather than just used.

Obviously no-one read the document above? It say’s the National Counter-Terrorism Committee agreed to purchase these vehicles for each jurisdiction in Australia.

Yes we live in the National Capital, if there is a terrorist act it very well could happen here.

You guy’s do realise that ACT Policing falls under the Federal Police as well? Just checking.

Very impressive, but one wonders why they didn’t just pick up some Bushmasters?

Got to be some cheap M113s around these days.

C’mon guys. It’s budget time, thats why they were bought. Now that they have appeared, I bet they will soon be mothballed and placed in an secure, inner city or airport location for potential strategic reserves in case of a civil uprising that may never happen.

shadow boxer2:39 pm 09 May 11

They could load it up with the AFP Jet ski’s and park it down by the lake. On a given signal the doors could fly open and out come the jet skiers in full tuxedo’s before flying across the lake to stealthily join 007 at the ASIO garden party to open their new citadel.

Is it just me or are our security agencies seriously overfunded and just looking for excuses to spend capital.

I think a Bushmaster would be an inferior vehicle for this application.

Take a look at this video, which covers the Lenco the AFP have acquired, which is a Lenco Bearcat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm4bzV31k14

Send it for nightly patrols down Tuggers way perhaps?

creative_canberran2:03 pm 09 May 11

EvanJames said :

Exemplifies what the ACT police think their role is. I expect to see the next protest outside the Chinese Embassy attended by this thing, blasting water at the startled Falung Gong characters.

Actually, more for this kind of situation: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article6246539.ece

JB raises a good point about not just buying a Bushmaster. Unfortunately the specs on these vehicles are protected by a client login on Lenco’s site so not sure of the weight. I’m thinking the Bushmasters would be too heavy for suburban use. I recall the Bushmaster deployed to QLD during the floods had severe restrictions on what roads they could use due to bridge weight restrictions along the way.

creative_canberran1:53 pm 09 May 11

And before the neysayers start calling this a waste of money, we are the last jurisdiction in Australia to not have some sort of armoured police vehicle. This along with the 5 armoured AFP 4x4s not long ago seem a sensible precaution in a national capital.

Exemplifies what the ACT police think their role is. I expect to see the next protest outside the Chinese Embassy attended by this thing, blasting water at the startled Falung Gong characters.

That’ll be very useful for rounding up drunks in Civic.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.