The first batch of 4x4 patrol vehicles for difficult terrain, purchased from non-refundable European funds, through the Internal Security Fund, entered the endowment of the Romanian Border Police. The new vehicles, equipped to state-of-the-art standards, are intended to carry out specific patrol missions in off-road conditions, being intended to ensure an increased ability to progress in difficult-to-access terrain, with the aim of increasing the efficiency of the missions performed and the quality of land border surveillance.
Thus, the first batch, consisting of 12 means of land mobility, entered the endowment of the Romanian Border Police. This lot is part of the set of 50 Ford Ranger Double Cab Raptor special vehicles, intended for the surveillance of border areas, which will be part of the Romanian Border Police endowment in the next period, as part of a contract worth approximately 16 million lei, financed from non-refundable external funds, through the Internal Security Fund. The next 38 vehicles are to be received by the end of this year.
The vehicles are intended to carry out specific patrol missions in off-road conditions to ensure increased progression capacity in difficult-to-access terrain and in adverse weather conditions, in order to more effectively control the cross-border criminal phenomenon, respectively combat and prevent illegal migration, respectively of the smuggling of excisable products.
On this occasion, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Lucian Nicolae Bode emphasized: "Romania is in full process of accession to the Schengen Area. Every movement, action, decision must be well calibrated to achieve the strategic objective of becoming a Schengen member country as soon as possible. It is a priority for Romania, and the humanitarian and security crisis to which we responded immediately and showed exemplary solidarity gave us visibility and generated a series of opportunities regarding Romania's accession to the Schengen Area. You are part of this joint effort and have an obligation to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Border Police to modernize and meet the challenges of the times we are going through. And from this perspective, the Border Police is the guarantor of the integration of the national borders and the external borders of the European Union"
At the same time, Minister Lucian Nicolae Bode urged the Border Police to continue initiatives of this kind, appreciating: "I encourage you to develop and improve continuously in order to further confirm the value of this essential structure in the institutional safety and security architecture of the Romanian state .(…) The more the operational capacity of intervention and the level of equipment of the MAI structures increases, the more is gained in terms of the efficiency of missions on the ground".
Also, the inspector general of the Border Police, chief police commissioner Victor-Ștefan Ivașcu, specified that "equipment with modern patrol and intervention equipment is not only a necessity, but also an obligation, considering the dynamics of the cross-border criminal phenomenon which indicates the use of modern technological means. This is why, both now and in the future, we aim to strengthen this component of border surveillance, with purchases of fixed surveillance equipment, but also mobile surveillance equipment, such as special vehicles, drones, high-performance boats or local surveillance cameras".
At the same time, "it is the first time that a model from the Ford Performance range enters the equipment of a state institution, and I congratulate the General Inspectorate of the Border Police for the choice made. I am sure that the Ford Ranger Raptor will brilliantly cope with the most difficult tasks imposed by the specific activity in ensuring the safety and security of Romania's borders.
Thanks to its redoubtable capabilities, the Ford Ranger Raptor will be the trusted partner of those who will drive it, being not only a robust and performing model, but also one highly appreciated for its reliability", said Roxana Capătă, Managing Director of Ford Romania.
The base Ford Ranger Double Cab Raptor vehicle is equipped with a 4x4 transmission system for off-road conditions, having the entire suspension redesigned (shock absorbers with increased pickup capacities), electrically operated front-mounted winch and 5000 lumen LED projectors for the surveillance of border areas.
The special vehicles are intended to be used by operative structures in areas with undeveloped terrain, difficult to access or even flooded areas, having a multitude of high performance technical characteristics. Among them is the raised engine air intake ("snorkel" type) that gives it the ability to cross flooded areas with a depth of 80 cm.
Technical specifications: engine: turbo-diesel, cylinder capacity 1996 cm3, 156 KW, with 4×4 traction, 10-speed automatic gearbox, fully detachable with electronic traction control system, suspension adapted for traveling in undeveloped/hard-to-reach areas.
The increased efficiency of border security measures is also possible through a substantial logistical support, in continuous development and modernization, both with community funds and those available from the state budget.
One of the conditions on which the efficiency of our missions depends is the provision of technical equipment adapted to the realities on the ground and the dynamics of the cross-border criminal phenomenon. The surveillance vehicles have proven their usefulness time and time again, and the continuation of purchases along this line remains a priority objective of the Romanian Border Police.
