More than 100 arrests have been made since the introduction of the car in central Bristol.

The silver Mondeo ST 220 was introduced to enure a team of officers could arrive at crime scenes more quickly.

The team is made up of a specially-trained driver, a detective and a scenes of crime officer.

The trio, who are dedicated "quick car" staff, will help to cut out the need for multiple visits to crime scenes, say police.

City centre arrests

The car team has been responsible for 20% of arrests in the city centre, Broadmead, St Pauls, Easton and St Werburghs in the past two months.

Overall robberies are down by 65% in the city centre, and by 58% across the whole city.

Chief Inspector Martin Hiles said: "We are the first police force in the area to adopt this scheme and it is proving highly effective."

Inspector Chris Weigold, who heads the city's robbery unit, said the new tool was invaluable.

"The use of this vehicle has made a significant contribution to the success and arrest rate in street crime."

The car is also able to take on surveillance tasks using cameras at the front and rear of the vehicle.