From today (April 4), New Zealand Police is rolling out a new dog wagon that's the result of a "blank canvas" approach to design, says Inspector Brian Yanko (below), manager for the NZ Police Fleet Service Group.
The new wagons are based on the latest Police Prime 1 patrol vehicle, the Skoda Superb, in 206kW all-paw four-wheel drive format. They replace a brace of Holden models that have been in service since 2016: the Commodore VF ute and the Equinox SUV.
Conversations about a new dog wagon started early last year, with a working group including handlers, tactical responders and Massey University consulting on the design. Yanko also inspected and was informed by Superb dog wagons in Europe and UK. NZ Police conversion specialist Wade Group (based in Hamilton) spent more than 1000 hands-on hours creating the prototype, which has been trialled in the Waikato since November last year.
The dog area is based around a storage compartment in the centre of the vehicle, with a "dog pod" at the rear.
The design team is particularly proud of the new climate control incorporated into the wagons: dual sensors trigger extra ventilation at 28 degrees, and if the temperature reaches 32deg it's deemed "critical" and internal/external windows automatically open. The police pooches slurp from magnetic water bowls.
Work is also under way on telematics to provide notifications to handlers' mobile phones about the status of the dog pods.
Another new feature is a remote quick-release for the windows. If a handler is under threat near the vehicle and needs assistance, they can drop the windows via remote to release the dog, which is trained to run directly to the handler.
During the announcement for the Skoda dog wagon, NZ Police displayed examples of the previous two VF ute and Equinox models, as well as a gem from its Museum historic fleet: an original EH Holden that was first used as prisoner transport (hence the high roof), but became its first dedicated dog van in 1965.
The original vehicle worked in the Tairāwhiti district before being retired in the early 1970s. It was refurbished in 1986 and became part of the historic fleet after touring the country to mark the centenary of NZ Police that year.
The new Skoda Superb dog wagons are officially on duty from today (April 4), with one in Waikato and another in Auckland. Between 15-20 will be deployed before the end of June; over 100 of the existing Holden wagons are due for replacement over the next 18 months.
There are approximately 127 purpose-built vehicles for handlers and their dogs ("delta units") currently in service.