A promotional video posted to YouTube (above) shows the new cop cars lined up on the narrow strip of AB Dambis amid the wind-tossed waters of the mighty River Daugava.
Resplendent in green and white livery vaguely reminiscent of blocks of mint and vanilla ice cream – albeit with flashing blueberries on top – the video shows police officers looking quite satisfied with their new transport.
In all 22 brand new Toyota RAV4 cars are now at the disposal of Rīga's finest, and all are equipped with video surveillance cameras that allow monitoring and recording events both outside the car and in the transport compartment intended for detained persons. Also, a GPS system is installed in all cars, which allows them to be tracked for operational purposes – or in the unlikely but potentially embarassing case that one of them gets stolen by a ne'er-do-well unable to resist such a totemic prize.
The eagle-eyed may notice an errant cyclist pushing his bicycle past the serried ranks of pursuit vehicles in the video – possibly a bit worried that if he rides on the footpath he might be issued with several dozen tickets by police officers in an excess of enthusiasm caused by that 'new car smell' that is so enjoyable.
