Yes, you did see it this week – that was a Thrifty police van

“Driven by deals? Thrifty thrills.”

It’s not exactly the slogan you’d expect to see emblazoned on the side of a police van, but that was the case this week when ACT Policing found itself in need of a few extra vehicles for the visit of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

A photo of one of the vans emerged on the Canberra Notice Board Group on Facebook this week, with the caption: “Canberra police, brought to you by Thrifty”.

The long-wheelbase Toyota Hiace featured all the usual trappings of a minibus from vehicle hire agency Thrifty – the massive logo on bright blue with stripes of colour along the base.

The only features setting it apart were chequered police decals on the windows.

“When you need the police and they get sent from Wish,” one comment read.

“Brings new meaning to undercover,” another said.

A spokesperson for ACT Policing has confirmed it wasn’t because all the BMW M3s were in for a service that day, or that Toyota was sold out of Hiace minibuses.

“When managing large-scale events, ACT Policing sometimes requires additional resources – such as mass transport for staff,” the spokesperson said.

“Commercial suppliers are used in these situations, as this is a much more cost-effective measure than owning or leasing specialist vehicles that may only be required a few times a year.”

In this instance, large numbers of officers needed to ensure security as the Chinese premier’s motorcade moved around the capital on Monday, especially when pro- and anti-Chinese protests clashed outside Parliament House. One person was arrested for a “breach of the peace”.

Most of the time, the police only need to hire minibuses for these occasions, rather than other types of vehicles.

“We have some in our fleet but for operations such as we saw on Sunday and Monday, we need additional resources.”

“High office holder visits” are no rarity for Canberra, but earlier this year ACT Policing issued a missive to motorists due to a larger number than normal for 2024.

“Our motorcade officers would like all drivers to assist us to ensure minimum disruption and maximum safety for all road users,” a statement, issued in March, read.

A police motorcade typically involves 10 to 12 police vehicles, with cars in front and behind and motorbikes riding ahead to close off intersections and direct other motorists to give way.

All the flashing lights are activated so you won’t be able to miss them.

For Premier Li Qiang’s visit, the police motorcade accompanied his delegation wherever it went.

For the route between Parliament House and Government House, other officers tapped into Canberra’s roadside network of CCTV cameras from the Police Operations Centre (POC).

Acting Commander Richard Breiner told ABC Canberra this team’s job was to provide “that strategic level overlay … versus the operational effect which is done by our police commanders out in the field”.

“Having a look at the CCTV allows us to coordinate things such as … green light corridors for a safe passage of our VIP in between his events.”

In Perth, where Premier Li Qiang visited on Tuesday, things were even more intense.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and WA state police had eyes on the ground from a low-flying helicopter with a sniper on board, in addition to a huge convoy of more than 30 vehicles.

ACT Policing publishes information about expected motorcade activity on its X/Twitter account, although it’s not specific for security reasons.

“The key thing is for people to be aware of motorcades, and if they do have appointments on the day, to plan accordingly,” the spokesperson said.

ACT Policing asks motorists to remain patient during motorcades and not resort to driving over median strips or performing illegal U-turns.