The Ministry of the Interior announces:
On Friday, June 2, 2023, the Innovation Lab of the State Office for Central Police Services of North Rhine-Westphalia (LZPD NRW) presented the "patrol car of the future" in Duisburg. The North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of the Interior, Herbert Reul, unveiled the new concept vehicle together with the deputy head of the LZPD NRW, Armin Helzer. A "test object on four wheels" was presented, on which innovative operational technology is being tested under laboratory conditions. The Innovation Lab's "patrol car of the future" is therefore not an operational police vehicle.
"What would the police be without their patrol car? Our police officers use them to rush off on missions, hunt criminals, catch speeders, stow traffic cones, protective vests and first-aid kits, drive arrested persons to the station for questioning, make radio calls, observe and stop suspects. The vehicle in silver, blue and neon yellow is an all-purpose vehicle that has to be able to do a lot. And will be able to do even more in the future," emphasized Herbert Reul.
The Audi Q4 on show is a fully electric vehicle with lots of special technology. The experts at the Innovation Lab have already spent over 120 hours developing the "technology carrier" - and the tests and trials are set to continue. The built-in sensor technology alone, which includes cameras and infrared sensors, for example, weighs 25 kilograms. In future, further technical aids are to be tested in and on the "patrol car of the future".
Among other things, the employees of the Innovation Lab showed how technologies in the highly digitized patrol car could make operations easier in the future: An on-board computer, which is connected to the respective control center and the duty cell phone, shows police officers real-time information about the operation directly in the patrol car. This information can already be important for assessing the situation on the journey: What is currently happening at the scene? Are there already indications of danger? Are people on the run? How are the people described? In which direction have the people fled?
The "tinkerers" in the Innovation Lab are currently testing the "sensor-based blue light" with integrated video camera. This should make it possible to take speed measurements from the car and recognize the distance between vehicles in several lanes while driving. This video data is then analyzed by a computer in the patrol car.
Since January 2022, the North Rhine-Westphalian police have been researching new, intelligent deployment technology and modern equipment at the LZPD NRW Innovation Lab in Duisburg. After the "Spot" police robot, the patrol car of the future is the second "flagship product" of the Duisburg lab.
Herbert Reul emphasizes: "It's about preparing our police officers for the challenges of the future - for everything that comes. And in the best possible way. Experts from the entire police force come together in the police think tank and ensure that the police are well ahead of the game."