Main Force Patrol

Lore & Background

The Main Force Patrol is a poorly funded law enforcement agency in a dystopian near-future Australia. Its officers include Max Rockatansky, the top pursuit man, and Jim "Goose" Rains. After the death of the lone outlaw Nightrider, Max is shown his new police car: a specially built V8-powered black Pursuit Special with a blower. A conversation between Max's superior Captain Fred "Fifi" Macaffee and the Commissioner reveals the Pursuit Special was authorised to bribe Max, who is becoming weary of police work, into staying on the force. The MFP arrests Toecutter's young protégé Johnny the Boy, but no witnesses appear in court and Johnny is deemed mentally unfit to stand trial; against Goose's furious objections, Johnny is released into Bubba's custody. Goose is later killed by the gang: after Johnny sabotages his police motorbike, causing it to seize, Goose crashes; Toecutter urges and forces a reluctant Johnny to throw a match into the wreck of the ute, burning Goose alive. After seeing Goose's charred body in the hospital ICU, Max informs Fifi that he is resigning from the MFP to save what is left of his sanity. Fifi convinces him to take some time off before committing to his decision. Later, after the gang kills Max's wife and son, Max dons his police uniform and takes the black Pursuit Special, without authorisation, to pursue and eliminate the gang members.

In Their Own Story

The dust swirled around the chrome bumper of the patrol car as Max slowed down, his eyes scanning the horizon where the sun bled into the cracked earth. The radio crackled with static, the only voice left in a silence that felt heavy and final. He thought about the badge on his chest, a symbol of an order that no longer existed beyond this single stretch of asphalt. Then, the roar of engines erupted from the scrubland, not the hum of traffic but the scream of madness. The MFP had one last chance to hold the line before the darkness took everything.

Reader's Guide

The Main Force Patrol is one of the last remaining law enforcement agencies in a dystopian near-future Australia. Their goal is to maintain order on the highways despite widespread oil shortages and ecocide. Membership consists of officers like Max Rockatansky, the top pursuit man, and Jim "Goose" Rains. They drive modified patrol cars, including a specially built V8-powered and supercharged black Pursuit Special. In the broader conflict, the MFP arrests gang members like Johnny the Boy, but the justice system fails: no witnesses appear in court, Johnny is released, and the gang retaliates by killing Goose. After the gang murders Max's wife and son, Max resigns from the MFP and uses the Pursuit Special without authorisation to hunt the gang members down.

Did You Know?

• The MFP is poorly funded, as shown when an unnamed MFP patrolman is killed by the lone outlaw Nightrider.
• Max Rockatansky is the MFP's top pursuit man, and his new black Pursuit Special was authorised as a bribe to keep him from resigning.
• Officer Jim 'Goose' Rains was burned alive after Johnny the Boy sabotaged his police motorbike and later threw a match into the wreck of the ute.
• After his family was killed, Max resigned from the MFP and took the black Pursuit Special without authorisation to hunt the gang.
• The MFP's failure to convict Johnny the Boy—due to no witnesses and a finding of mental unfitness—led directly to Goose's death.