September 24, 2015
Police are investigating after a vehicle attempted to intercept another vehicle by impersonating police on the New England Highway on Thursday morning.
Around 7:50am a man was driving near Braeside, south of Warwick, when a dark blue Ford Falcon sedan used flashing red and blue lights in the front windscreen in an attempt to stop the man.
The driver pulled over, and the man asked him for his particulars. The driver suspected that the man was not a police officer and drove away.
He reported the incident to Stanthorpe police who confirmed that there were no unmarked vehicles patrolling the area at that time.
Anyone with information which could assist police with this matter is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
Any motorist who believes the unmarked vehicle attempting to intercept them is not a police vehicle is urged to contact local police, or if they fear for their safety to call Triple Zero (000) to verify the identity of the vehicle or the person.
Should a motorist find themselves in this situation they can:
- Stop at a place they feel safe, such as a well-lit area or an area with other people;
- Keep their doors locked and windows closed;
- Request to see the person’s police identification; and
- Advise the person they are calling police to verify their identity.
All on duty police officers, whether in plain clothes or uniform, are required to carry official QPS identification, comprising a metal QPS badge and an identification card, complete with the officer’s name, registered number and photograph.
A member of the public may ask to view an officer’s QPS identification to verify the officer’s credentials and can contact local police to verify an officer’s details.
The penalty for impersonating a public official carries a maximum term of three years imprisonment.
