Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday flagged off 146 newly procured vehicles for the Kerala Police at a ceremony held at the SAP Parade Ground in Tgiruvananthapuram.

The vehicles were purchased to enhance the operational efficiency of the police force and to replace ageing vehicles in a phased manner. The fleet includes Mahindra Thar, Bolero and Scorpio vehicles, Force Gurkha and Traveller vehicles, and Hero Xpulse motorcycles. These will be deployed across police stations, control rooms and highway patrol units across the state.

Of the vehicles, 44 Bolero's will be used to strengthen routine police patrolling and improve law and order maintenance. 40 Scorpio vehicles have been allotted to enhance highway police patrolling, with the aim of improving traffic regulation and crime prevention.

In addition, to enable police teams to access hilly and remote regions, an off-road fleet comprising 15 Force Gurkha vehicles and five Mahindra Thar vehicles will be deployed. The fleet also includes 24 Hero Xpulse motorcycles to support round-the-clock patrolling and surveillance, along with 18 Force Traveller vehicles.

Pinarayi Vijayan also presented the Chief Minister's Awards for Best Police Stations for 2024. Muhamma Police Station in Alappuzha district secured the first position, followed by Kodungallur Police Station under Thrissur Rural in second place, and Bekal Police Station in Kasaragod district in third.