Police van
![American police van, Duluth, Minnesota, 1909.](/Images/godic/202501/09/Paddywagon_19093037.jpg")
![Modern Western Australian Police Force police paddy wagon.](/Images/godic/202501/09/WA_Police_NC1013037.jpg")
![NSW Police Ford Ranger police paddy wagon with new-style cage.](/Images/godic/202501/09/2008_Ford_Ranger_PJ_XL_Crew_Cab3037.jpg")
![VW Transporter Finnish police van, aka](/Images/godic/202501/09/Helsinki_police_car3037.jpg")
A police van (also known as a paddy wagon, patrol wagon, Black Maria or police carrier) is a type of vehicle operated by police forces. Police vans are usually employed for the transportation of prisoners inside a specially adapted cell in the vehicle, or for the rapid transportation of a number of officers to an incident.