Bad Guys Beware: Ford Ranger Raptor And Focus ST Heading To UK Police Force

As we know, out in the real world, few cars are as quick point-to-point as a hot hatchback. Given that South Wales Police is now evaluating an estate version of the seriously rapid new Ford Focus ST, miscreants in that area ought to just give up now.

Crucially, it isn’t the diesel variant that the force is testing - it’s the 276bhp petrol version. That means 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. There’ll be no getting away from the wagon-ified hot hatch in the corners either, with the new ST coming with an electronically-controlled limited-slip differential as standard. That stolen Citroen Saxo won’t know what hit it.

If the bad guys are trying to get away in something with a little more ground clearance, the cops should have an answer for that soon too. If you dive down the next green lane, you’re going to struggle to lose the second vehicle currently being trialled by South Wales Police - a Ranger Raptor.

Like the Focus ST, it’s been prepared by Ford’s Special Vehicle Preparation crew in Essex. Both cars have been given a UK police livery, flashing lights and sirens. It’s standard otherwise, but given that the Raptor has 2.5-inch thick Fox dampers and a reinforced frame that can take up to 1G of load, the pick-up is plenty capable out of the box.

Ford UK says that the Raptor “has more than enough to keep up with crims making a getaway across gravel, mud and sand,” adding that the vehicle, “may prove to be the perfect tool to access some of the UK’s most rural locations”. We’re thinking the use of the word “may” is being a little modest.

Criminals of South Wales, you have been warned.