konknaijaboy | On 29, Dec 2013

Nobody wants to be caught by the police, but a ride to the station in a state-of-the-art McLaren worth  £170,000 isn’t such a bad thing.

This is one luxury that Dubai’s criminals will have to get used to, as the newest addition to the emirates police fleet will be difficult to outrun at 207mph.

The latest addition, built in Woking, has a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre engine that generates three times the power of the British panda car. It has flashing lights and can accelerate from 0mph to 62mph in 3.1 seconds.

According to a Daily Mail report:

The McLaren MP4-12C motor joins a garage of the world’s most expensive patrol cars including a Lamborghini, an Aston Martin, a Bentley, a Ferrari, and a Chevrolet.  They can all exceed 190mph.

Designed by Frank Stephenson, creator of the Mini Hatch and award-winning Ferraris, it is the first McLaren built since the F1 was discontinued in 1998.

It is made with carbon fibre for minimum weight – just 1,306kg, well below the average of 1,500-1,700kg.

In November, it won ‘Car of the Year’ and ‘Best Supercar’ at the Middle East Motor Awards.

The custom-made vehicle, painted in Dubai’s flagship green and white colours, carries a ’2020′ number plate to celebrate the nation’s successful World Expo 2020 bid, which will showcase business, creative, and economic innovation in the country to millions of visitors.

The luxurious cars are part of a government-outlined Police Specification, released earlier this year, which ruled top-of-the-range cars are a necessity to fight crime in a city with so many highways.

Speeding drivers are even known to plead policemen to detain them and escort them to the station in their cutting-edge vehicle. Officers will take a compulsory driving course then get their pick of the fleet.

Among others, they can choose a limited-edition Lamborghini Aventador – released this year to celebrate the firm’s 50th anniversary – to scale the opulent city.

Last year Dubai Police took on 50 Kia Mohaves and 35 were marked as patrol cars by the force. Khalifa Abdullah Mohammad, 25, drives one of the 217mph Lamborghini Aventador police cars.

He said: ‘I have issued about 30 tickets to drivers blocking the traffic and parking in prohibited places. But the most amazing thing about driving such a car is how people look at you with a big smile.’

Deaths on the road are a common occurrence in the UAE, with one person killed in a traffic incident every 26 hours.

Most of these deaths are caused by speeding, driving without a seatbelt and driving while using mobile phones.

The police recently announced anyone caught exceeding 125mph would face legal action and it is hoped the presence of 700bhp supercars will make boy racers think twice.

Following the arrival of the supercars, some motorists are thought to have actually asked to be arrested in the hope they can be taken back to the local nick in a Ferrari.

Mariam Ahmad, who personally owns a Toyota Landcruiser, patrols the streets in a Ferrari FF.

She said: ‘It is the first time I have driven a sports car. When they chose me I couldn’t believe it. Driving it is just amazing. It’s funny because we hear people begging us to arrest them for any reason so they can have a tour in the Ferrari.

‘I miss the car when I’m off duty. My Land Cruiser does not compare’.