A new weapon to help the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) wage war against crime has been unveiled as the 155mph Audi RS 6 Avant.

Billed as Britain’s most powerful police car, the RS 6 will see frontline service with the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVICS) to reinforce its vehicle crime prevention programme.

“Audi has a tradition in taking security seriously and has won many awards,” said Detective Chief Inspector Paul Lambotte from AVICS. “It is the only manufacturer to take a further step to support UK policing by supplying vehicles to us on a partnership basis.

“This vehicle will make a real difference to our operational activity.”

The ten-cylinder super estate, which is capable of 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds, has been loaned to ACPO by Audi UK and will operate as a covert police car.

It boasts the added safeguards of quattro permanent four-wheel-drive and Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) hydraulic damping for optimum control and composure at speed.

Jeremy Hicks, director of Audi UK, said: “For the RS 6 to be chosen by the ACPO for a task which inevitably involves high speed driving often in close proximity to the general public shows great confidence in the integrity of our cars.”