Spooner captures police work
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by Colin Barnett
C.2M visited two operations, both part of the Gordon Spooner Engineering group. The name of Gordon Spooner has been famed within the world of inotorsport for many years, and its current activities in that field range from running the recce cars for Ford's World Rally Championship assault to preparing the winning car in last year's Czech Touring Car Championship.
The first operation is based next door to the competition workshop; it trades as Safeguard Vehicle Systems. Its primary function is the design and manufacture of specialist equipment for all makes of vehicle used by the police and associated services.
The work in progress during our visit was typical: the first thing we encountered was a batch of dog kennels, custom built for various vans and estate cars. While we were there. Essex ponce arrived with Sherlock, their new bloodhound, who was being measured for the tailor-made box needed due to his being rather arger than the usual German Shepherds.
Next along was an lveco Turbo Daily van being converted into a mobile communications centre for the Home Office. The first job had been to fit a metallic lining inside the GAP roof to act as a ground plane for the collectior of radio aerials. The van had already been fitted with a bulkhead over the rear axle to create an operations room and an equipment storage area.
Storage area
The storage area included a slide-out generating unit, but Safeguard is currently evaluating the Tritech Powerall, a range of alternator-sized engine-driven units which will provide a 110 or 220V 2-5k VA AC supply at a fast idle.
We then looked at one of Safeguard's staple products, the Transit "Saturday Night Special'. These are combined crew carriers and detention cells. The 'guest" accommodation has to provide a safe environment; says the firm's spokesman: "Even fighting drunks has rights these days."
Some vans—particularly when destined for those areas where the Day-Glo disc on the roof is seen as a fair target for a TV set dropped from a 10th floor balcony—have their roofs reinforced.
A full range of Oxford Armour panels is supplied. Custom-made for a wide variety of vehicles, these are flexible enough to allow easy fitting inside door panels and the like, while retaining a high degree of anti-ballistic protection. Another job in progress is fitting a consignment of Iveco Turbo Daily buses with aircraft-style seat tracking to take the latest M2spec seats with their integral belts.
Much of Safeguard's work involves up-rating suspension systems to allow continuous opera tion at high speed and maximum payload in safety Its current pride and joy is the modified Ford Galaxy V6 MPV, fated with 330mm front discs, racing-style four-piston calipers and a number of other brake and suspension mods. The aim was to provide a payload equal to the ubiquitous Range Rover but in a more nimble package. They have succeeded in making a versatile vehicle suitable for traffic, dog handling and armed response duties.
It's not all police work, however. CM also took a look at the
first of 300 underbody protection kits, comprising sumpguard and up-rated front springs, for the Royal Mail's new Peugeot Partner mail vans. Safeguard already provides the kits, which are fitted to vans used in country areas, for the current Ford and Vauxhall vehicles.
Folding bulkhead
It has also launched an ingenious three-way folding bulkhead designed for estate cars carrying tools or equipment, and selling for less than £100.
The second part of the operation, Ford Special Vehicle Preparations (SVP), is located at a secure site deep in the Essex countryside. Here, any Ford vehicle destined for operational duty with the police and other less overt enforcement agencies will be prepared.
This could be anything from fitting racking to a scenes-ofcrime van to kit that James Bond would be proud a During our visit the workshop housed part of a batch of Escort saloons for the MOD Police and a number of fairly basic Transits for British Transport Police, as well as some of the Galaxies.
Although it is independently owned, SVP operates very much as part of the Ford empire and handles some 2,000 vehicles a year. All the components used in conversions are to OE specification and a full spares backup is provided.
A number of the larger police forces' workshops actually have Ford dealer status, including the right to carry out their own PDIs and warranty work.