A firebomb-proof police car is being wheeled out by Bahrain’s Interior Ministry to protect officers from arson attacks, a report said.

It will feature a protection system that detects arson attacks through hi-tech sensors, which will soon be added to all police vehicles, according to the report in the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

Its three inventors, who work in the Civil Defence, believe the first-of-its-kind system in the Gulf will save the ministry BD850,000 ($2.24 million) annually that is spent on repairing damaged vehicles or treating injured policemen.

"It has been tested on selected police vehicles and will now be extended to include more in a bid to protect policemen and vehicles from injuries and damages," said the inventors.

The new system, which can be operated automatically or manually, will release a special foam, carbon dioxide or powder if a vehicle comes under arson attack.

The three inventors - Colonel Salah Al Mubarak, First Lieutenant Mosab Al Khaldi and Corporal Jaffar Isa - were speaking to the ministry's Amn (Security) magazine issued yesterday.

They have also proposed the ministry set up a new research centre that focuses on tackling dangers facing policemen. – TradeArabia News Service