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{{Short description|White police car with red stripe}}
{{Short description|White police car with red stripe}}
{{refimprove|date=February 2015}}
{{refimprove|date=February 2015}}
{{multiple image|
[[File:West Midlands Police Rover SD 1 Traffic Car c.1985.jpg|thumb|alt=A large white car with a red stripe on the side moving along highway|upright=1.35|A [[West Midlands Police]] [[Rover SD1]] circa 1985]]
|direction = vertical
|image1 = GX04FMG 110410 CPS (4520863014).jpg
|alt1 = White hatchback with red and amber horizontal stripe along the midline and 'Surrey Police' lettering below the stripe
|caption1 = [[Surrey Police]] [[Ford Focus (first generation)|Ford Focus]] patrol vehicle at [[Silvermere]], demonstrating a minimally marked variant of "jam sandwich" livery
|image2 = Jam sandwich police car marking.svg
|alt2 = An orange stripe with a dark yellow stripe in the middle, surrounded by a blue border
|caption2 = A "jam sandwich" marking based on the one used by the [[Metropolitan Police]]}}
In [[British English|British]] [[slang]], a "'''jam sandwich'''" or "'''jam butty'''" is a [[British police|police]] car with a red stripe applied to the side.
In [[British English|British]] [[slang]], a "'''jam sandwich'''" or "'''jam butty'''" is a [[British police|police]] car with a red stripe applied to the side.
==History==
==History==
[[File:London MMB »209 Admiralty Arch.jpg|thumb|alt=Large white van with red horizontal stripe along the midline and Police lettering near roof|[[Mercedes Sprinter]] at London's [[Admiralty Arch]] (2014)]]
[[File:West Midlands Police Rover SD 1 Traffic Car c.1985.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A large white car with a red stripe on the side moving along highway|A [[West Midlands Police]] [[Rover SD1]] circa 1985, featuring "jam sandwich" livery encompassing most of the vehicle's midline]]
The term "jam sandwich" came into common use in the 1970s, as police cars changed from block colour schemes such as the blue and white "[[panda car]]" to broad fluorescent sidestriped liveries on white or grey base paint. A thin amber sidestripe, fitted using [[fluorescent]] tape and vinyl sheeting, was first applied to vehicles of the [[East Sussex Constabulary]] in 1965, introduced on the recommendation of Chief Constable [[George Terry (police officer)|George Terry]]. Some forces, such as the [[Hertfordshire Constabulary]], would later introduce a blue border around the sidestripe.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carpenter |first1=Paddy |title=Police Stop! Patrol and response vehicles in England and Wales |date=2016 |publisher=[[Amberley Publishing]] |location=Stroud |isbn=978-1-4456-5831-5 |page=33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eLJNDQAAQBAJ |access-date=5 February 2024}}</ref> This livery scheme was seen as reminiscent of [[Fruit preserves|jam]] sandwiched between two slices of white bread, hence the name. The slang was popularised on [[TV show]]s such as ''[[The Bill]]'', ''[[The Sweeney]]'' and ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]''; as well as spreading through the use of [[CB radio]].


[[File:Met police car.jpg|thumb|Metropolitan Police [[Opel Vectra#Vectra B (1995–2002)|Vauxhall Vectra]] with "jam sandwich" stripe, silver base paint and large 'POLICE' lettering]]
The term came into common use in the 1970s, when such cars changed from the traditional blue and white colour scheme to white/grey with a broad [[fluorescent]] orange stripe along the side. This colour scheme is reminiscent of [[Fruit preserves|jam]] sandwiched between two slices of white bread, hence the name. The slang was popularised on [[TV show]]s such as ''[[The Bill]]'', ''[[The Sweeney]]'' and ''[[Minder (TV series)|Minder]]''; as well as spreading through the use of [[CB radio]]. It is still in common use, although increasingly police cars use [[Battenburg markings]].
The "jam sandwich" first came into use with London's [[Metropolitan Police]] in 1978, first applied on a fleet of new high-performance [[Rover SD1]] traffic cars.<ref>{{cite news |title=New look for police cars |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/westminster-and-pimlico-news-new-look-fo/133726425/ |newspaper=[[Westminster and Pimlico News]] |date=14 July 1978 |page=41 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=5 February 2024 |archive-date=14 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114205504/https://www.newspapers.com/article/westminster-and-pimlico-news-new-look-fo/133726425/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Marked vehicles were initially finished in base white paint with "jam sandwich" livery applied on each side, however the base colour was changed to silver from 2002 to help improve a vehicle's resale value when it was retired from police use.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gibbs |first=Nick |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-standard-silver-lining-for-the-m/135385999/ |title=Silver lining for the Met |date=14 June 2002 |newspaper=[[Evening Standard]] |location=London |page=99 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=5 February 2024 |archive-date=18 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118150317/https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-standard-silver-lining-for-the-m/135385999/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Jam sandwich police car marking.svg|thumb|A "jam sandwich" marking based on the one used by the [[Metropolitan Police|Metropolitan Police Service]]]]
In November 2012, London's [[Metropolitan Police Service]] began to replace the liveries of its marked vehicles from the 'jam sandwich' style to Battenburg markings,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.london24.com/news/crime/met_police_cars_to_adopt_battenburg_style_livery_1_1698432|title=Met Police cars to adopt Battenburg style livery|last=Jacobs|first=Luke|date=19 November 2012|website=London24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501091114/http://www.london24.com/news/crime/met_police_cars_to_adopt_battenburg_style_livery_1_1698432|archive-date=1 May 2016|access-date=24 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/police-union-chokes-as-battenberg-replaces-jam-sandwich-8328448.html|title=Police union chokes as Battenberg replaces jam sandwich |last=Davenport|first=Justin|date=19 November 2012|website=Evening Standard|access-date=3 November 2020}}</ref> in line with other [[British Police|police]] forces' marked police vehicles. In the Metropolitan Police Service, the term 'jam sandwich' now refers not to a car with a specific role, but to the car's livery only. Most jam sandwich-liveried vehicles are the remaining older models of police vehicles that have not yet been replaced, and public order [[Police van|carriers]].


===Replacement===
A [[Rover SD1#British police use|Rover SD1 Vitesse]] previously used by [[Grampian Police]] and restored as an episode of UK television series ''[[For the Love of Cars#Series 2|For The Love of Cars]]'' was sold in 2015 at the [[National Exhibition Centre]] to the [[Grampian Transport Museum]] for what was reported as a world record auction price for the Rover model.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/angus-mearns/126042/jam-sandwich-police-car-comes-home/|title=‘Jam sandwich’ police car comes home |last=Strachan|first=Graeme |date=14 January 2015|website=The Courier (Dundee)|access-date=6 November 2020}}</ref>
[[File:Police cars at New Scotland Yard - geograph.org.uk - 3114621 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Two Metropolitan Police [[Hyundai i30]]s in "jam sandwich" livery (left) and [[Battenburg markings]] (right)]]
<gallery>
The "jam sandwich" livery on police vehicles across the United Kingdom has today been replaced by [[Battenburg markings]], first introduced in 1998 on the recommendation that the livery makes the vehicle easily identifiable by oncoming drivers as a police vehicle from at least {{convert|500|m}}. As part of a move to promote "High Visibility Policing" in conjunction with the use of force logos, by 2003, 76% of forces had begun adopting the markings as well as a "half battenburg" variant for urban and suburban patrols.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fleetid.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Home-Office-PSDB-14-04-High-Conspicuity-Li1.pdf |title=High Conspicuity Livery for Police Vehicles |publisher=Home Office Police Science Development Branch |date=2004 |access-date=5 February 2024}}</ref> This livery began to be introduced on new vehicles delivered to the Metropolitan Police from November 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.london24.com/news/crime/met_police_cars_to_adopt_battenburg_style_livery_1_1698432|title=Met Police cars to adopt Battenburg style livery|last=Jacobs|first=Luke|date=19 November 2012|website=London24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501091114/http://www.london24.com/news/crime/met_police_cars_to_adopt_battenburg_style_livery_1_1698432|archive-date=1 May 2016|access-date=24 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/police-union-chokes-as-battenberg-replaces-jam-sandwich-8328448.html|title=Police union chokes as Battenberg replaces jam sandwich |last=Davenport|first=Justin|date=19 November 2012|website=Evening Standard|access-date=3 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |date=19 November 2012 |title=Met Police cars to have Battenburg livery |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20393064 |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=5 February 2024 |archive-date=9 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709070639/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20393064 |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:Met police car.jpg|[[Vauxhall Motors|Vauxhall]] Police car with stripe

File:Northern Constabulary.jpg|[[Northern Constabulary]] police car with battenburg colour markings
However, a handful of older vehicles are still marked in "jam sandwich" livery in some police forces in the United Kingdom. In the Metropolitan Police, the term 'jam sandwich' now colloquially refers to the car's livery only, as worn by remaining older vehicles and public order [[Police van|carriers]] that have not yet been replaced.
</gallery>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Panda car]]
*[[Panda car]]
*[[Battenburg markings]]
*[[Aerial roof markings]]


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{wiktionary|jam sandwich}}
{{wiktionary|jam sandwich}}
*[http://www.blvpg.co.uk/index.htm Restored examples of many types of UK police vehicles]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Jam sandwich (Police Car)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jam sandwich (Police Car)}}
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[[Category:Slang]]
[[Category:Slang]]
[[Category:Automotive terminology]]
[[Category:Automotive terminology]]



{{slang-stub}}
{{slang-stub}}

Latest revision as of 20:55, 22 February 2024

White hatchback with red and amber horizontal stripe along the midline and 'Surrey Police' lettering below the stripe
Surrey Police Ford Focus patrol vehicle at Silvermere, demonstrating a minimally marked variant of "jam sandwich" livery
An orange stripe with a dark yellow stripe in the middle, surrounded by a blue border
A "jam sandwich" marking based on the one used by the Metropolitan Police

In British slang, a "jam sandwich" or "jam butty" is a police car with a red stripe applied to the side.

History

[edit]
A large white car with a red stripe on the side moving along highway
A West Midlands Police Rover SD1 circa 1985, featuring "jam sandwich" livery encompassing most of the vehicle's midline

The term "jam sandwich" came into common use in the 1970s, as police cars changed from block colour schemes such as the blue and white "panda car" to broad fluorescent sidestriped liveries on white or grey base paint. A thin amber sidestripe, fitted using fluorescent tape and vinyl sheeting, was first applied to vehicles of the East Sussex Constabulary in 1965, introduced on the recommendation of Chief Constable George Terry. Some forces, such as the Hertfordshire Constabulary, would later introduce a blue border around the sidestripe.[1] This livery scheme was seen as reminiscent of jam sandwiched between two slices of white bread, hence the name. The slang was popularised on TV shows such as The Bill, The Sweeney and Minder; as well as spreading through the use of CB radio.

Metropolitan Police Vauxhall Vectra with "jam sandwich" stripe, silver base paint and large 'POLICE' lettering

The "jam sandwich" first came into use with London's Metropolitan Police in 1978, first applied on a fleet of new high-performance Rover SD1 traffic cars.[2] Marked vehicles were initially finished in base white paint with "jam sandwich" livery applied on each side, however the base colour was changed to silver from 2002 to help improve a vehicle's resale value when it was retired from police use.[3]

Replacement

[edit]
Two Metropolitan Police Hyundai i30s in "jam sandwich" livery (left) and Battenburg markings (right)

The "jam sandwich" livery on police vehicles across the United Kingdom has today been replaced by Battenburg markings, first introduced in 1998 on the recommendation that the livery makes the vehicle easily identifiable by oncoming drivers as a police vehicle from at least 500 metres (1,600 ft). As part of a move to promote "High Visibility Policing" in conjunction with the use of force logos, by 2003, 76% of forces had begun adopting the markings as well as a "half battenburg" variant for urban and suburban patrols.[4] This livery began to be introduced on new vehicles delivered to the Metropolitan Police from November 2012.[5][6][7]

However, a handful of older vehicles are still marked in "jam sandwich" livery in some police forces in the United Kingdom. In the Metropolitan Police, the term 'jam sandwich' now colloquially refers to the car's livery only, as worn by remaining older vehicles and public order carriers that have not yet been replaced.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Carpenter, Paddy (2016). Police Stop! Patrol and response vehicles in England and Wales. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4456-5831-5. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  2. ^ "New look for police cars". Westminster and Pimlico News. 14 July 1978. p. 41. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Gibbs, Nick (14 June 2002). "Silver lining for the Met". Evening Standard. London. p. 99. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "High Conspicuity Livery for Police Vehicles" (PDF). Home Office Police Science Development Branch. 2004. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  5. ^ Jacobs, Luke (19 November 2012). "Met Police cars to adopt Battenburg style livery". London24. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  6. ^ Davenport, Justin (19 November 2012). "Police union chokes as Battenberg replaces jam sandwich". Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Met Police cars to have Battenburg livery". BBC News. BBC. 19 November 2012. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
[edit]