And more importantly, why would you want to? Theres a whole host of good and not so good reasons to get yourself a Police Riot Van. These rugged P.O.V. (Public Order Vehicle acronym fans!) Ford Transits, LDV Convoys and Mercedes Sprinters can fulfil a variety of useful roles. Theyre the wacky alternative to a limo on a hen or stag night, a kudos-enhancing ride for your teens Prom or a cost-effective substitute to a regular minibus. On the other hand, if youre a member of the paranoid society (or a Mirror reader) they are a dangerous cover vehicle for terrorists.

Naturally you cant just walk into your local Ford dealer and drive away with a fully equipped riot buster. Well, for one, the accessories list doesnt feature window shields and the blues-and-twos. That leaves the prospective buyer looking to pick one up second-hand. The best places to look are auction houses and online auction websites. Recently, if you wanted to obtain an ex-Police riot van complete with the armour and sirens then thanks to an oddity of the English system these were easily available. Of course its an offence to masquerade it as an official police vehicle but not to own one. In Scotland, things are slightly different; their police service employs a decommissioning team to remove markings and equipment.

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Online auctions like eBay are a great place to find yourself a cheap, well-specced riot van. This one has been un-police-ified. Although police vans are bought or leased new and therefore classed as having one owner the police; it will have been driven by upwards of ten people, perhaps as many as 100 to date and driven hard in the line of duty too. This should make you a little wary and more than a little observant when giving it the once over before buying.

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eBay is an obvious port of call for anyone searching for a second hand vehicle. This one is a part conversion into a camper van, something far removed from its original use.

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Even relative newcomer, Gumtree, is getting in on the act.

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Of all the woes that face second hand van buyers is the uncertainty of the history of the vehicle. Its amusing to see that this next van has its mileage guaranteed. One should expect nothing less, surely.

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Along with mileage worries there is also the concern of what the vehicle has been through. Thats one genuine problem with police vehicles, you just never know what bodily fluids, hazardous substances or narcotics have been ingrained into the upholstery. This lot is very clean - apparently.

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There are some police riot vans that probably wont be up for sale. Thanks to some anti-social citizens, one or two vans may need more than a service and a valet to make them roadworthy.

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One careful owner. Shame about the rough neighbourhood.

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Other online and physical vehicle auctions run up and down the country. Another popular avenue is to hire one from a specialist vehicle hire company. This is more cost effective than buying one outright. Of course, if youve got an eye on a career change then buying up riot vans and other ex-cop cars could be the start of your very own hire company. With prospective clients including television, film and the entertainment and party industry, it could be a lucrative venture.

Hiring an ex-riot van might be fun for a lads night out; after all, so many rowdy pub crawls end up with the police van turning up you might as well bring your own! Not many revellers turn up and finish a night out in police van!

And finally...

Not every ex-riot van has to be kept looking authentic or stripped out for business use. The Metropolitan Police teamed up with Pimp My Ride. The van has been donated to London charity XLP who specialises in music and drama will visit schools and youth centres in seven London boroughs to reach out to young people whose lives have been affected by knife and gun crime. Gone are the grilles and old paint scheme and in is the fully-functioning recording studio, laptops, 40-inch plasma screen, Xbox, digital video camera and sound-proof booth. The standard side door is nowhere to be seen, an amazing swing up door is so much cooler.

Needless to say it has a nice interior.

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And a great exterior!

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