Auckland – Counties Manukau Police have arrested a man following a bizarre incident during routine patrols in an unmarked vehicle last week.
Inspector Kerry Watson said officers noticed a station wagon following them, equipped with a flashing bar of red and blue lights – a signal typically used by Police to instruct a vehicle to pull over.
“Our officers were perplexed and quickly realised the car was not Police-official,” Inspector Watson said.
“It took a few moments for the impersonator to realise the vehicle they were signalling to pull over was Police, and they quickly tried to evade the area to avoid being caught.”
Officers intercepted the vehicle a short distance away and arrested the driver without incident.
Police confirmed a 38-year-old man will appear in the Manukau District Court on 24 December, charged with impersonating a Police officer and excess breath alcohol.
“The offender was impersonating Police, and to boot, was over twice the limit for breath alcohol,” Inspector Watson said.
“It’s bad enough that this person thought it was okay to impersonate a Police car. It’s even worse to see impaired and dangerous driving.”
Impersonating Police or representing a vehicle as a Police vehicle is an offence under the Policing Act 2008.
Police remind the public:
- Call 111 for emergencies.
- Call 105 for non-emergency reports or incidents after the fact.
