Introduction

The British Saxon was the third-generation armoured personnel carrier (APC) of the Force, and once used by the British army. In view of operational needs of the Force, the machine gun on APC was dismantled and replaced with observation devices. There were 8 tear gas or smoke grenade launchers on the top of the vehicle, while the body was equipped with anti-climbing electric discharge devices. Besides, it could withstand bullets from ArmaLite AR-15 and M16 rifle. The Saxon APCs were used in various operations like riots in Whitehead Refugee Detention Centre in the 1990s and protests during the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in 2005. It was formally decommissioned in 2009 and the fourth-generation Unimog APC manufactured by France took its place. The Saxon (Vehicle Registration Mark AM6991) now parking in the Aberdeen Campus is for display only.