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 Post subject: Police Minis
PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:07 pm 
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Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2004 2:19 am
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Location: Geelong, Victoria
In the next issue of The Mini Experience (Issue 11 - not Issue 10 which is about to come out) I am planning on doing a major feature on the Police Minis in Australia.

Now, I know just about every second person is going to say they have an ex-police Mini for me to photograph, but I already have a few good candidates.

What I would like first and foremost is if anyone knows the whereabouts of a genuine ex-cop car still in its markings - ie still with police insignia and light, etc.

I know there was one in Canberra until a few years ago, and it was sold to someone in NSW. However, I don't know any more about it, other than it was apparently originally a Federal Police vehicle.

Also, I am after specific information on numbers of cars used by the police in each state (it wasn't only NSW that had them and they weren't all Cooper S).

There is a stack of misinformation out there and I am trying to piece it together, sorting the BS out from the facts.

Please PM me if you have any reliable, provable, or first-hand information about the police Minis. But, not if you know a guy, who knew someone who once said.... You get the drift? :wink:

Cheers,
Watto.
:shock:


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:11 pm 
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Joined: Mon May 03, 2004 6:46 pm
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Location: ADL
How would ex-Police cars still have their lights and stickers?

Surely they'd do the same then as they do now and remove all stickers/radios/ etc etc before selling them...


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:19 pm 
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religious status
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Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 6:19 pm
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Location: near Baulkham Hills, NSW
Back in the 60s all the Police Highway Patrol S's in NSW were plain brown/white etc wrapper, no lights or insignia.
How do I know? Well, they chased me often enough.... :lol:
Only Minis I saw with `Police' on were station cars, Mini K etc. :wink:

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 Post subject: Re: Police Minis
PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 9:33 pm 
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1360cc
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Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2004 11:32 am
Posts: 12390
Location: Sthrn HiLoLands, NSW, Australia
watto wrote:
In the next issue of The Mini Experience (Issue 11 - not Issue 10 which is about to come out) I am planning on doing a major feature on the Police Minis in Australia.

Now, I know just about every second person is going to say they have an ex-police Mini for me to photograph, but I already have a few good candidates.

What I would like first and foremost is if anyone knows the whereabouts of a genuine ex-cop car still in its markings - ie still with police insignia and light, etc.

I know there was one in Canberra until a few years ago, and it was sold to someone in NSW. However, I don't know any more about it, other than it was apparently originally a Federal Police vehicle.

Also, I am after specific information on numbers of cars used by the police in each state (it wasn't only NSW that had them and they weren't all Cooper S).

There is a stack of misinformation out there and I am trying to piece it together, sorting the BS out from the facts.

Please PM me if you have any reliable, provable, or first-hand information about the police Minis. But, not if you know a guy, who knew someone who once said.... You get the drift? :wink:

Cheers,
Watto.
:shock:


Craig,

You may recall I sent some photos to you of the Canberra car....Colin (now in Wagga) went to a good deal of trouble to source genuine items such as Blue Flashing Light and Siren from from Police Museums etc....the AFP side decals were magnetic.

I know our former magazine editor (Rob) has genuine Police Build Sheets.

Nasis in our club has a genuine chronometric speedo for his ex-NSW Police Cooper S.

As Kev mentioned, all the NSW Highway Patrol high-speed pursuit cars (what a mouthful) were unmarked....maybe a sun visor to make it look "normal" and maybe some driving lights.

Cheers, Mick

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:26 pm 
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848cc
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Joined: Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:12 am
Posts: 402
Location: Sydney, NSW
Here is a photo from the State Library Archives. As you can see it's an "S".

Image


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:30 am 
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1098cc
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Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2004 2:19 am
Posts: 1574
Location: Geelong, Victoria
Good colour pic of a police Mini.

How about a link to where it came from? :wink:

Yes, I know the highway patrol cars were (mostly) unmarked cars, but I am looking for something with markings on it - ie a station car.

I know of two that existed recently, and have heard rumours of others, but don't have details of where the two have gone. One, as mentioned in my previous post was from Canberra - thanks Mick for reminding me about the pics, but as you told me he sold the car and we have been so far unable to locate it. The other I know was a Victorian station car - yes, Victoria had a sum-total of two Minis, both Cooper S.

So, get those networks happening folks and see if we can track either of these down.

Cheers,
Watto. :shock:


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:21 am 
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Watto, I was chatting with Peter French recently and he tells me a friend of his has an ex-Police Clubman GT. Apparently this guy has owned it from new. Yes, new....it was built for the cops but ended up being a cancelled order. Sorry, no signage on it.

Off topic.....my grandfather was a (well respected) parliamentarian and in 1976 purchased a HJ Kingswood direct from the Police force. As a kid he would drive me around in it, complete with switches for 'P' sign, siren etc, and an add-on switch unit for hazzard lights, complete with NSW Police Force logo on it! :lol:

One day on a long drive to Bronte beach (he used to be a Bronte lifeguard in his hey-day) I was bored and dug my hand down between the rear seat back and base, and promptly pulled out a small syringe. Certainly not my grandfathers. Maybe from the pocket of a crim in cuffs on the back seat?

In the late 90's he sold the car. It had travelled 120 000 kms from new. It was a beautiful car.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:25 am 
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Watto - check out the following thread

http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic ... ght=police


The pics that I found were from the following website, there may be some more recent mini pics that have been uploaded.

http://www.inthejob.com/

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:33 am 
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Joined: Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:12 am
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Location: Sydney, NSW
Watto,

The photos can be found at:
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/picman/

A lot of them have copyright protection and can only be viewed at the State Library.

Below is an interesting caption from one of the photos:

New Morris Mini Cooper cars (with standard Mini body) for the NSW Police, Phillip Street headquarters. 19 Dec 1963 - "Weird and wonderful Sydney" caption: "Just in time for Christmas, police took delivery of the first 15 of a fleet of 200 grey Morris Mini-Minors to replace their antique motocycle side-car outfits for routine patrol. Sergeant K. Menzies in the foreground, 188cm tall and weighing 99 kg, said he had no trouble getting into the mini-car (but nothing about getting out)"


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 11:51 am 
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Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2006 8:22 am
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Location: Somewhere...... over the rainbow
drmini in aust wrote:
Back in the 60s all the Police Highway Patrol S's in NSW were plain brown/white etc wrapper, no lights or insignia.
How do I know? Well, they chased me often enough.... :lol:
Only Minis I saw with `Police' on were station cars, Mini K etc. :wink:


My old next door neighbour was in the Highway Police and he drove a Mini as described above and then road a Motorbike for them. I believe he's retired now out black springs way or was there at least.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 12:09 pm 
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Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2004 4:36 pm
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Location: Brisbane
Watto, i know a guy who knows this guy :-) sorry , couldn`t help myself.

One of my "S"s is supposed to be an ex cop "S", both Bruce Turner & Nairn from Mountain Motor Books believe it to be, i`m not that fussed really as it`s in a fair sorry state & has been raced/trashed/crashed to an inch of it`s death, i will restore it one day tho

I`ll keep my eyes & ears to the ground for a factory example tho, & i`ll even ask dad, he might know a guy who knows another guy :-)

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:33 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2004 10:32 pm
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I had an ex-Police K a long time ago. About all I remember about it was the way that the seat runners for the drivers seat had been pushed through the floor. :shock:

Matt, I would believe Nairn from Mountain Motor Books as he worked at BMC Zetland.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:54 pm 
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Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 3:42 pm
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Location: Athelstone- Adelaide
Hi Watto,

I was only getting red "x's" in the threads so dont know if any of these were posted up.

If not, I hope they could be of some use to you! The American one was just thrown in even though it isnt australian based. Unfortunately, I dont know where i acquired them from.

Image
Image
Image
Image

Cheers
Matt

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:30 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2004 10:32 pm
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I found this pic on the net a while back.

Image

I just can't remember where. :?


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 7:17 pm 
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Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2005 10:40 pm
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Location: newcastle
someone say police cooper s








Image
Image
Image










ohhhh....... not BMW mini....

:wink:

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