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Tourists intrigued by luxury police fleet

Dubai - The high-end squad cars fit into the greater gearhead ethos of Dubai, where fire-engine red Ferraris growl at stoplights and convertible Rolls Royces prowl the boulevard ringing the world's tallest building.

Police in the desert metropolis of Dubai have built up a high-horsepower arsenal of luxury sports cars and SUVs over the years to complement their fleet of green-and-white patrol cruisers.
The high-end squad cars fit into the greater gearhead ethos of Dubai, where fire-engine red Ferraris growl at stoplights and convertible Rolls Royces prowl the boulevard ringing the world's tallest building.
Lamborghinis also glisten through the glass of a massive new showroom on Shaikh Zayed Road, the country's longest thoroughfare that is a dozen lanes at its widest when cutting through Dubai.
But don't expect their Lamborghini Aventador to show up if you rear-end someone.
These police cars don't see duty at traffic accidents or engage in high-speed pursuits, said Dubai police Lt. Saif Sultan Rashed Al Shamsi, who oversees the tourist police's patrol section.  Instead, according to Al Shamsi, the cars appear for special events across Dubai - or cruise areas frequented by tourists, offering visitors a glamorous image of the Dubai Police.
That also is a way for the city-state's police force to be more accessible and welcomed by the public in a country home to a huge foreign workforce, Al Shamsi said.
"One of the funny stories we have is that a lot of tourists and people here call the Dubai Police ... on (the emergency number) 999 to ask about these cars," he said. "They want to know which location they will be in and how they can find them and take pictures with them."
Their photogenic qualities came out in force on a recent day as officers parked several outside the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa.
The twin scissor doors of the police's BMW i8 swung open like wings on the $140,000 car, which flies to 60mph in 4.2 seconds. The car's licence plate read 2020, a nod to Dubai hosting 2020 World Expo, a world's fair held every five years.
Along for the ride were a two-door Bentley Continental and a Nissan GTR, its licence plate the same as Dubai's police emergency number and the plastic wrap still around its backseat.
Tim Dean, a 24-year-old tourist from St. Petersburg, Florida, used to the Ford Crown Victoria police cars on the streets of the United States, stopped to snap a quick photograph of the assembled exotic vehicles.
"You don't see many cop cars like this," Dean said.
That's true, especially as the force's vehicles also include brands like Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Ferrari.
However, one place you do see these cars is online. Videos of vehicles have millions of views and the cars themselves serve as characters in advertisements for Dubai events and in stunt clips.
 
Exotic cars in Dubai police's garage
 > Aston Martin One-77;
 > Audi R8;
 > Bentley Continental GT;
 > BMW i8;
 > BMW M6;
 > Brabus Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG;
 > Bugatti Veyron;
 > Chevrolet Camaro;
 > Ferrari FF;
 > Ford Mustang customized by Roush Performance;
 > Lamborghini Aventador;
 > Lexus RC F;
 > McLaren MP4-12C;
 > Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG;
 > Nissan GT-R; and a
 > Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid.