Italian law breakers beware.
The Italian Police Force – the Carabinieri – now has a new weapon to choose from in their arsenal, and it’s the Suzuki Jimny. No, we’re not joking. The popular off-roader is the latest police car to join the Carabinieri’s lineup.
Some of you might question why a Jimny would be chosen by the Italian police force. Like the Jimny sold locally, the Italian police vehicle only packs a small 1.5-liter engine that produces 100 horsepower and 138 Nm of torque. Most performance vehicles can easily outrun the little boxy vehicle easily. That is unless the chase takes an unexpected turn into the dirt roads.
However, the new fleet of Jimny police cars is not really intended for use for police pursuits to chase criminals. According to the Carabinieri, the Jimny will be relegated to off-road assignment in their forest departments. Specifically, it will allow officers to take “more effective action to protect the environment” according to a translated statement on their Facebook post. We won’t be surprised though if the Italian police force deploys it to go after criminals that are driving off-road.
So sorry to burst your bubble. If you were hoping to see a new Suzuki Jimny in hot pursuit in the tight Italian city streets, that is very unlikely to happen. Still, it’s cool to see that a vehicle as cute as the Jimny is being used by police forces around the world. Maybe the Philippine National Police (PNP) needs some off-road police vehicle as well?
