Mini Pato

Mini Patrol or "minipato" (ミニパト) cars, are Police vehicles in Japan named for being vehicles within the kei or "5-number" (roughly compact-sized) size classes of cars, with a maximum engine displacement of 1,500 cc or less and a maximum total length of 4,500 mm (180 in). There are exceptions such as the Suzuki SX4 and Suzuki Baleno, both "3-number"-sized cars with a total width exceeding 1,700 mm (67 in).^[1][2][3]

Mini-patos come in marked and unmarked variants, and are often deployed at kōban or police stations relatively far from the main station, or used exclusively for parking and traffic enforcement. The former, called "compact patrol vehicles", were deployed for the first time in 1974 to 100 police stations with severe road and weather conditions nationwide (Shōwa 50 edition "White Paper on Police"). A large number of 1,000-1,500 cc compact cars were introduced by the National Police Agency and deployed nationwide, and are now a common sight on the streets of Japan.^[4]

As mini-patos are not equipped with radios or radar systems, police officers riding in them are required to carry portable radios or radio receivers. However, antennas are installed in many mini-patos, and are meant to be connected to an officer's portable radio. Some vehicles are equipped with data communication terminals and location tracking systems. The equipment present on the base car is left as it is, so factory-equipped navigation systems may be present, but are seldom used due to the operational environment. In addition to the standard V-shaped light bar found on standard police cars, mini-patos are also equipped with an auxiliary red warning light.^[2]

On occasion, prefectural vehicle procurements may differ from those at the national level. Whereas national mini-pato orders are often for kei cars due to their maneuverability on cramped and congested urban roads (particularly in Tokyo), prefectural police in less urbanized areas may opt for so-called liter cars, taking durability into account because of larger operation areas and thus longer travel distances. Since most orders are from prefectural governments, there is no single standardized model nationwide.^[5]