May 'The Force' Be With Hyundai

The force is with Hyundai … the police force, that is! The first liveried Hyundai police car has recently gone into service, where it will become the official vehicle for a community beat officer.

PC Tim Cuthbert is the Rural Beat Officer for the Winchcombe, Tewkesbury and Bishops Cleve area in North Gloucestershire – and he will have a Santa Fe CRTD GSI for his official duties. PC Cuthbert was looking for the ideal car for serving the rural communities he serves; and the Santa Fe fitted the bill perfectly.

The car has been supplied by recently appointed dealer Cleveley Cars in Cheltenham for an initial one year, although could go on for longer.

PC Cuthbert, an officer with more than 20 years of policing behind him, said: "I wanted to be seen, identified and recognised as the community officer for this area, and the Santa Fe is perfect."

Much of PC Cuthbert’s work will be liaising with schools, farmers, parish councils and other local groups, and the car will be widely seen at local fetes, events and functions. He also is the Wildlife Liaison Officer for the area. So what are PC Cuthbert’s impressions of the Santa Fe in the week he’s driven the car? He said: "It’s a very comfortable, practical car, with excellent visibility. Having the Santa Fe is a terrific statement; people will immediately know it's me when I pull up somewhere."

The deal was set up with Mark Eriksen, Cleveley Cars’ General Sales Manager. He said: "Tim approached us, and we were very happy to do it. It will be a highly visible car in the local area, and will hopefully serve the local community well."