The mystery of the mini police car which has been patrolling Huddersfield’s streets has finally been solved.
For two years it has been regularly spotted in Golcar, Slaithwaite, Marsden and Longwood, tootling along at 5mph, decked out in fluorescent yellow paint and all the police kit.
Photographs have regularly appeared on social media sites and a photo of the car outside Aldi in Slaithwaite recently featured on Kirklees Rural Police’s Facebook page.
It can now be revealed that the patrol car belongs to joiner Allan Robinson, 46, who built it for his police-mad sons Frankie, nine, and Jonah, seven.
Allan, who lives in Golcar, said it had been turning heads and making people smile for two years.
He said: “People seem to love it. They take photos and videos of it and ask me how I made it and why. We have even been stopped by the police in Longwood. Officers squeezed into the driver’s seat and had their photos taken. They liked it and showed Frankie around their police van, which was great.”
His sons enjoy dressing up as police officers and have kitted out their patrol car with a fingerprint kit, traffic cones, crime scene tape, binoculars, mock Taser, uniforms and notebooks.
There is a flashing light on the roof, a siren and a working megaphone.
The vehicle began life as a mobility scooter and was destined for the scrapyard when Allan picked it up for £50. It needed some work on its electric motor and a lot of woodwork to create hinged doors, windows, a boot and several panels.
It then got a decent paint job and some stickers to add some authenticity.
When a photo appeared this week on Kirklees Rural Police’s Facebook page, it was shared 85 times and attracted lots of comments and 700 likes.
Diane Holroyd said: “It looked so life-like. It even had police cones around it when I spotted it outside the Commercial pub. Nice one.”
Tim Szoradi said: “I’ve heard you’re short staffed but this is taking it to the extreme.”
A Kirklees Rural police spokesman said: “The car isn’t one of ours and to be honest we’re a little bit gutted it’s not!”
