Police van
Encyclopedia
A police van is a type of vehicle operated by police forces
. Police vans are usually employed for the transportation of prisoners
inside a specially adapted cell in the vehicle, or for the rapid transportation of a number of officers
to an incident.
Early police vans were in the form of horse-drawn carriages, with the carriage being in the form of a secure prison cell. In the modern age, motorised police vans replaced the older Black Maria and Paddywagon types as they were usually crudely adapted for accommodation of prisoners.
The need for a secure police van was realised when prisoners who were resisting arrest
needed to be transported. The concern, was that if transported in a conventional patrol car
, the prisoner may attack the officers during the journey.
To combat this, police vans were designed with a fixed steel cage in the rear of the vehicle effectively separating the prisoner from the officers.
The word paddywagon is of American
origin. The precise origin of the term is uncertain and disputed, though its use dates back to at least the beginning of the 1900s. There are at least two theories as how the phrase originated.
, Ireland
, Australia
, New Zealand
and the United States
, a police wagon was also sometimes called a Black Maria
. The origin of this term is equally uncertain. The OED
lists the first usage as the Boston Evening Traveller from 1847 which mentions them as a new type of wagon. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
suggests the name came from Maria Lee, a large and fearsome black keeper of a sailors' boarding house
who the police would call on for help with difficult prisoners. The term is still used today in parts of Britain for the vehicle that transports prisoners from jail
to court, appearing in the songs "Guns of Brixton" by The Clash
and "Adios Hermanos" by Paul Simon
. Frequently, blackened-windowed buses are also used for the same purpose.
The term also exists in Norwegian, where the same vehicle is called "maja" or "svartemaja" (alt. "-marje", "-marja"), originating from "Black Maria", and in Finnish as "mustamaija". In Serbian, it is "marica" (with a small "m"), while "Marica" with a capital "M" is a diminutive
of several female names. The term 'Schwarze Maria' is also common in Germany.
The Black Maria is also called 'Mothers Heart' as it is said that there is always room for one more.
The term is often used in some areas of Australia
, specifically New South Wales
and Queensland
to refer to a general duties vehicle with a prisoner cage on the back. Australian police vans are typically based on small utility vehicle
s such as the Holden Rodeo
, Holden Crewman, or Toyota Hilux
. In Victoria, Australia the term Divisional Van (or Divvy Van for short) is used. In Western Australia, paddywagon is common amongst the general population but divvy van appears to be favoured by the police themselves.
Individual police station
s may have a van for the accommodation of prisoners and transportation of officers. The Metropolitan Police Service
, England
makes extensive use of these, particularly among the Territorial Support Group
, which carries out public order duties and adapts the vans to carry riot protection equipment.
Police vans may have a flip down wire shield across the windscreen, which helps prevent projectiles from damaging the vehicle.
Many forces now differentiate between a "Carrier" - a vehicle used for Public Order situations and therefore equipped with shields etc and what is commonly known as a "Cub Van" - a small van with a cage in the back.
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
. Police vans are usually employed for the transportation of prisoners
Prisoner transport
Prisoner transport describes the transportation of prisoners by land, air and water. It is performed by law enforcement agencies and their armed agents or officers. Handcuffs are often the minimum restraint, however the additional precaution of leg irons is more often taken, particularly if the...
inside a specially adapted cell in the vehicle, or for the rapid transportation of a number of officers
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
to an incident.
History
The need for a secure police van was realised when prisoners who were resisting arrest
Resisting arrest
Resisting arrest is a term used to describe a criminal charge against an individual who has committed, depending on the jurisdiction, at least one of the following acts:* threatening a police officer with physical violence while being arrested...
needed to be transported. The concern, was that if transported in a conventional patrol car
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
, the prisoner may attack the officers during the journey.
To combat this, police vans were designed with a fixed steel cage in the rear of the vehicle effectively separating the prisoner from the officers.
Paddywagon
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
origin. The precise origin of the term is uncertain and disputed, though its use dates back to at least the beginning of the 1900s. There are at least two theories as how the phrase originated.
- The most prevalent theory is based on the term "Paddy" (a common IrishIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
shortening of Patrick), which was used (sometimes as derogatory slangSlangSlang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
) to refer to Irish people. Irishmen made up a large percentage of the officers of early police forces in many AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cities. Thus, this theory suggests that the concentration of Irish in the police forces led to the term "paddywagon" being used to describe the vehicles driven by police. - An alternative theory is similarly based on the term "Paddy" but states that the term arose due to the high crime level among Irish immigrants.
Black Maria
These vehicles were usually painted black or a very dark blue. In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a police wagon was also sometimes called a Black Maria
Black Maria
Black Maria may refer to:*Black Maria, a slang term for a police van used to transport prisoners*Edison's Black Maria, a film studio created by Thomas Edison- Music :*The Black Maria, a Canadian rock band...
. The origin of this term is equally uncertain. The OED
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
lists the first usage as the Boston Evening Traveller from 1847 which mentions them as a new type of wagon. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, sometimes referred to simply as Brewer's, is a reference work containing definitions and explanations of many famous phrases, allusions and figures, whether historical or mythical.-History:...
suggests the name came from Maria Lee, a large and fearsome black keeper of a sailors' boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
who the police would call on for help with difficult prisoners. The term is still used today in parts of Britain for the vehicle that transports prisoners from jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
to court, appearing in the songs "Guns of Brixton" by The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
and "Adios Hermanos" by Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
. Frequently, blackened-windowed buses are also used for the same purpose.
The term also exists in Norwegian, where the same vehicle is called "maja" or "svartemaja" (alt. "-marje", "-marja"), originating from "Black Maria", and in Finnish as "mustamaija". In Serbian, it is "marica" (with a small "m"), while "Marica" with a capital "M" is a diminutive
Diminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
of several female names. The term 'Schwarze Maria' is also common in Germany.
The Black Maria is also called 'Mothers Heart' as it is said that there is always room for one more.
The term is often used in some areas of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, specifically New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
to refer to a general duties vehicle with a prisoner cage on the back. Australian police vans are typically based on small utility vehicle
Utility vehicle
Utility vehicle is used to describe a vehicle, generally motorized, that is designed for a specific task.-Sport utility vehicle:Vehicles similar to a station wagon but built on a light-truck chassis, usually with off-road capability....
s such as the Holden Rodeo
Holden Rodeo
The Holden Rodeo is a utility vehicle that was sold in Australasia by Holden, a General Motors subsidiary...
, Holden Crewman, or Toyota Hilux
Toyota Hilux
The Toyota Hilux is a series of compact pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Most countries used the Hilux name for the entire life of the series but in North America, the Hilux name was retired in 1976 in favor of Truck, Pickup Truck, or Compact Truck...
. In Victoria, Australia the term Divisional Van (or Divvy Van for short) is used. In Western Australia, paddywagon is common amongst the general population but divvy van appears to be favoured by the police themselves.
Use of vans
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
s may have a van for the accommodation of prisoners and transportation of officers. The Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
makes extensive use of these, particularly among the Territorial Support Group
Territorial Support Group
The Territorial Support Group is a Central Operations unit of London's Metropolitan Police Service consisting of 720 officers, that specialises in public order containment among other specialist policing. The TSG is a uniformed unit of the MPS that replaced the controversial Special Patrol Group...
, which carries out public order duties and adapts the vans to carry riot protection equipment.
Police vans may have a flip down wire shield across the windscreen, which helps prevent projectiles from damaging the vehicle.
Many forces now differentiate between a "Carrier" - a vehicle used for Public Order situations and therefore equipped with shields etc and what is commonly known as a "Cub Van" - a small van with a cage in the back.