Ello ello el-Lotus

The idea of dressing up a fast car in police livery is nothing new: we've already seen a Brabus-tuned police Merc, and earlier this year Ferrari loaned out a 599GTB to the rozzers to accompany its Britain tour.

And this is the police's latest weapon in the fight again, erm, speed: a fully-liveried Lotus Exige S.

The 220bhp lightweight has been handed over to Sussex police force as part of a campaign to engage with boy racers. Quite why people in Sussex want to race boys, we're not sure, but apparently the Exige helps to break down boundaries between police and disaffected yoofs.

"Rather than sending a standard response unit to the scene of a disturbance caused by younger drivers getting together and doing donuts, we want to talk to the younger drivers," says Sergeant Paul Masterson. "We talk about the car, its performance and their cars. Once the barriers are down, we can talk to them about more serious road safety issues."

If you're the sort of Burberry-clad reprobate who needs educating about serious road safety issues, you can see the police Exige at the MPH07 show next month.