Speeding cars have replaced guns, knives and samurai swords as the greatest threat to the bobby on the beat. In an alarming development, increasing numbers of criminals are turning their vehicles into lethal weapons to escape justice.
The last two police officers murdered on duty were both mown down by vehicles. The trend echoes what is happening in America where, despite the proliferation of guns on the street, the latest figures show that law enforcement officers are nearly twice as likely to die from being struck by vehicles or being involved in car accidents as they are from gunshot wounds.
Cars are also responsible for the vast majority of other deaths on duty with more than half of all police fatalities occurring as a result of accidents and collisions.
Of the last 10 officers to die on duty, two were hit by cars, six were involved in traffic accidents. By comparison, of the 40 police officers murdered prior to this, half were shot, stabbed or beaten to death.
The most recent case of death by car took place last September. Constable Raja Ahmed, who had returned to motorcycle duty in Manchester after suffering a broken arm, had been called to a road accident when he was struck by a stolen vehicle. A man has been charged with his murder.
In April last year, PC Jeffrey Tooley was mown down while on duty at a radar speed check. A van failed to stop and, as it evaded the check, it deliberately struck Tooley. He was dragged for several hundred yards and died a few hours later from severe head injuries.
An unexpected benefit of the introduction of body armour for all police officers has been that it offers greater protection in such situations. The garments, made to absorb the impact of a bullet, also acts as a cushion in a vehicle collision.
Forty per cent of officers whose lives have been saved by their armour were involved in incidents involving cars. By comparison, just 29 per cent of lives saved involved firearms.
Despite this, the number of officers incapacitated as a result of vehicular assault is also climbing fast. Earlier this month British Transport policeman Terry Wright was dragged 30 yards with his arm trapped in a car door as two suspected drug dealers tried to make a getaway. He had tried to grab the ignition keys, and was only freed when the car window clamping his arm shattered and he was thrown to the ground and knocked unconscious.
The incident took place a few days after a young policewoman was rushed to hospital with minor injuries after her patrol car was rammed by a stolen vehicle and smashed into a tree as she responded to a robbery at a supermarket in Bookham, Surrey.
The startling figures make traffic duty by far the most dangerous division of the police force, above and beyond those working in the SO10 undercover division and even the elite SO19 firearms squad.
Veteran police safety campaigner Jim McNulty says: 'While police officers are more likely to be injured if they are assaulted with knives or guns, they are much more likely to be killed on the roads.
'When a police officer comes into contact with a potential assailant he can always assess the situation and make a decision to step back, reducing the risk of injury. But if someone is trying to run you over, there isn't a lot you can do to protect yourself. The theatre of danger is greater because of the high speeds.'