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Essex Police Warns Drivers Not To Stop For Unmarked Police Cars

Unmarked police cars are well-known in most countries, and the same thing made the imagination of some criminals devise new schemes of stealing cars.
Bedfordshire Police Vauxhall Astra patrol car 2 photos
Photo: Public domain/Wikipedia
Alert from Essex Police
Two vans were nabbed near Essex after their drivers were pulled over by unmarked Ford Mondeo cars. The thieves were disguised in police uniforms, and one of them even carried a handgun in one of the incidents.  
Since the thieves went through all the trouble of looking like police officers, they even fitted the cars with blue flashing lights, so that they would appear as legitimate police constables.

Unfortunately for the drivers of the two vans, the people that pulled them over were not from the Essex Police, nor from any police department whatsoever. They were thieves that had devised an intricate scheme into tricking people to pull over and get out of their vehicles.

While they were outside, two of the three or four accomplices climbed into the target vehicle and drove away, while the fake police car left, leaving the driver of the van in the dust.

Since the fake officers have yet to be found or busted, the Essex Police Department has issued a warning to all that drive under their jurisdiction to not pull over if an apparent officer asks them to do it while driving an unmarked car.

Confusingly, Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Smith stated that Essex officers had been told not to try to pull people over when in unmarked vehicles, unless it is an emergency. The same loophole in official explanations poses the risk of thieves having their way with the cars (or bikes, mind you) of innocent victims.

Naturally, officers ask the public to call 999 immediately if they spot someone in an unmarked car attempting to pull over another vehicle, so that they can verify that its occupants are genuine. Evidently, this action should not be performed while driving, so try to stop or ask your passengers to do it while at the wheel.

On a further note, we suggest you should never exit your vehicle while its engine is on, even if you have a passenger inside. Thieves may be on the prowl for inattentive motorists on any place on the globe (not just around Essex), so keep your eyes open and your wit sharp.

 

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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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