With a ceremony that took place at the esplanade of the Costa Rica Art Museum at La Sabana, representatives from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) donated 50 new patrol cars to the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MOPT in Spanish). These patrol cars will be placed at the service of Transit Police operations. President Laura Chinchilla was present at the event, as well as top officials from MOPT and other transit regulatory agencies.

This donation marks the third time this year that Chinese vehicles have been donated to law enforcement agencies in Costa Rica. According to state-run Internet portal china.org, the Ministry of Public Safety received 200 vehicles in January and another 150 in March. Fuerza Publica has been the major recipient of these patrol cars, which made their debut in Costa Rica back in 2009 during the second administration of former President Oscar Arias Sanchez.

According to the official press release published by MOPT, three of the squad cars will be used specifically to look out for speeders and street racers in the Greater San Jose Metropolitan Area (GAM). Eight vehicles will go to the northern Huetar region, seven to the Atlantic zone and six to the Southern zone. The rest of the patrol cars are being evenly distributed across Costa Rica.

In the past, the PRC has donated tow trucks and utility vehicles to the MOPT. This week’s donation is part of a broader program to curb the number of traffic-related fatalities. While there were 77 road deaths reported during the first three months of 2011, the toll was higher this year: 96 people have perished on our highways so far this year.

The donated patrol cars are Besturn B50 models, made by the Chinese automaker FAW Group. Japanese automaker Mazda contributed to the design of the Besturn B50, and the result is a sedan that borrows heavily from the Mazda 6 and looks a bit like the Ford Fusion.

Previously donated Chinese patrol cars quickly deteriorated under the heavy usage patterns by Fuerza Publica on poorly maintained roads, as well as a poor maintenance schedule. Subsequent donations have fared better since.

The MOPT also took the opportunity to indicate future expenditures for improvement of their facilities. Construction of a new General Direction of Transit building will break ground this year to the tune of $1.6 million, while improvement of the Transit Police Academy will require $50,000 and remodeling a new office in Limon will cost $60,000.