Main Force Patrol

The final uniformed shield against the rising tide of highway anarchy.

The Main Force Patrol (MFP) is one of the last remaining law enforcement agencies in a dystopian near-future Australia facing a breakdown of civil order primarily owing to widespread oil shortages and ecocide. The MFP is poorly funded, as seen when the lone outlaw Crawford "Nightrider" Montazano kills an unnamed MFP patrolman and escapes. Max Rockatansky is the organisation's top pursuit man, and after Nightrider's death, his superior Captain Fred "Fifi" Macaffee and the Commissioner authorize a specially built V8-powered black Pursuit Special with a blower as a bribe to keep Max, who is becoming weary of police work, on the force.

Quick Facts

Key member: Max Rockatansky (Formerly)
First appearance: Mad Max (1979)

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.

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 attacks his family, Max dons his police uniform and takes the black Pursuit Special, without authorisation, to hunt the gang members down.

Did You Know?

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.
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.