Worthing's 'police taxi' is set to be written off

Worthing's 'police taxi', a familiar sight around the town to discourage drink-driving, is set to be written off.
The Worthing Police Taxi is no more. Picture: @roadsafetynpt/TwitterThe Worthing Police Taxi is no more. Picture: @roadsafetynpt/Twitter
The Worthing Police Taxi is no more. Picture: @roadsafetynpt/Twitter

PCSO Ed Mitchell, from the Neighbourhood Policing Team covering Worthing and Adur, tweeted today that the vehicle had 'passed away'.

He said: "Unfortunately the drive shaft broke and was not cost effective to repair."

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The ‘choose your ride car’, a decommissioned police car repainted as half taxi, half police car, was used by the force at educational events and was often parked in the town centre to encourage revellers not to drink and drive.In 2013, Adur and Worthing District Commander Jo Banks said: “The vehicle prompted many people to stop and to talk to officers. This gave us the ideal opportunity to educate, inform and create more awareness. As the car was decommissioned it also kept cost to a minimum.”

This comes after 240 people were arrested over Christmas in a drink-driving crackdown, which a Sussex Police chief inspector described as 'bitterly disappointing'.