Police get BMWs

[Bimmer1980@xxxxxxx]

Here are the high lights in case you haven't picked up your July "Soldier of 
Fortune" magazine yet.
	In the article "Road Warriors" SOF writes:  Carjacking is prevalent 
in South Africa, where a popular metro area bumper sticker declares "This car 
already stolen."  In Johannesburg, gangs of Kalashnikov-wielding highwaymen 
relieve their fellow South Africans of on average 10 cars a day, often 
shooting the victim to prevent identification.
	Faced with an overwhelming problem and limited resources, the SF 
Police Service (SAPS) appealed for help.  BMW quickly donated 100 cars to the 
province's highway patrol.  Twelve BMW 328is (1997) were provided to the SAPS 
in the city of Durban. Officers require: driving course, SWAT course, Tracker 
system training and bomb disposal. About 2000 volunteered.  Less than 64 
finished. (Pay is $330/month)
	The 12 BMWs were quickly whittled down to 10, when two were badly 
damaged in high-speed pursuits. This type of duty is hard on vehicles to 
begin with, but when you factor in high-speed pursuits through AK-plentiful 
townships and the resulting exposure to automatic small arms fire, it's 
doubtful whether BMW's warranty applies.  The five-speed 328is are considered 
excellent duty vehicles.
	(If you have been thinking about a career change and you imagine 
yourself driving around in a BMW in a sunny seaside community this could be 
your chance.  You also could be driving 125mph legally and heavily armed.
 The article does have a few pictures of the cars and officers.)  

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