V8 RAM 1500 clocks on for duty

THE NSW Police Marine Command has a new vehicle to tow its toys to the coast, with the division acquiring a V8 Hemi-powered RAM 1500 to transport its range of jet skis and “rigid inflatables”.

The vehicle’s class-leading towing capacity, facilitated by the 291kW/556Nm 5.7-litre Hemi V8, was a cornerstone in the decision to allow the 1500 to clock on for duty, as NSW Police Marine Command Superintendent, Stephen Hegarty, explained.

“These trucks go everywhere in NSW with the MAC enforcement team, from Tweed Heads down to the Murray,” he said. “The 4.5 tonne max brake towing is incredibly useful as it allows us to easily tow up to four jet skis at a time –or one of our bigger rigid inflatables –out to Dubbo, for example, for the Commissioner’s Rise Up youth program, compliance around boat safety on the water, or the South Coast to assist in the recent bushfire evacuations.”

As well as the substantial 4500kg towing capacity, the fit-for-purpose vehicles also feature RAM’s RamBoxCargo Management System, tweaked to include a lockable gun box.

“The MAC vehicles are taken to some pretty remote locations, so there’s a requirement to be self-sufficient on the road,” said Jeff Barber, RAM Trucks Australia National Manager. “In addition to our unrivalled towing capabilities, features like our innovative RamBoxCargo Management System have been fully utilised to include a lockable gun box –a pre-requisite for police work – so we have the flexibility to adapt to differing requirements.”

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All imported RAM vehicles are re-engineered from left-hand drive to right-hand drive – using 400 locally sourced remanufactured parts – by RAM Trucks Australia at the brand’s Melbourne Manufacturing Plant, and it was this local operation that influenced Superintendent Hegarty’s decision.

“That we’re able to support local manufacturing is certainly a factor in our decision-making process,” he said. “The requirements we need to operate within means we have to be on top of our game when it comes to towing capacity and how we enforce the law –we can’t be underweighted on tows, so the RAM 1500 fits the bill perfectly.”

Expect to see more fit-for-purpose vehicles arriving on fleet for other law enforcenment agencies across the country, with conversations ongoing.