A man's plan to impersonate cops backfired spectacularly last night when he allegedly tried to pull over an unmarked patrol car and was found more than twice the legal drink driving limit, Auckland police say.
Inspector Kerry Watson said officers on duty noticed a station wagon behind them flashing red and blue lights - a universal police signal for a vehicle to stop.
"Our officers were perplexed and quickly clocked the car was not police-official.
"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."
A police spokesperson said "real officers caught up" with the driver a short distance away, where they were arrested without incident.
Watson alleged the man was impersonating police and was also more than twice the limit for breath alcohol.
"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," he said.
Impersonating police or representing a vehicle as a police vehicle is an offence under the Policing Act 2008.
A 38-year-old man will appear in the Manukau District Court on Wednesday on charges of impersonating a police officer and excess breath alcohol.
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