Telltale signs of a fake police vehicle include inconsistent markings, non-reflective striping, no roof light or antennas, and missing details such as a call sign, station name, and unit number, as per Intelligence Bureau SA.
A recent operation by JHB Crime Intelligence and Soweto K9 unit members led to the arrest of a 44-year-old suspect in Walkerville, Sedibeng District, who is believed to be part of a spate of robberies in Gauteng.
At the scene of the arrest, the authorities found rather shocking pieces of evidence – two cloned police vehicles that were spitting images of the real thing.
The first was a VW Golf fitted with police registration number plates and call signs, and the second a VW Polo GTI that was dressed to look like a Gauteng Highway Patrol vehicle with blue lights and sirens.
These vehicles were utilised during truck hijackings and courier vehicle robberies in Gauteng, said the authorities.
In the case of the Polo, the criminals took great care in obfuscating their identity from the public.
The hatchback sported an official-looking call sign, reflective markings, and a roof light and antennas. However, spending a few moments examining the cloned VW proves that it was a fake – albeit one cleverly disguised.
The one red flag was that the alphanumerics on the flanks of the car were highly inconsistent.
Some letters were thicker than others, not all were equally spaced, and many did not follow a straight line. These are things you won’t see on a legitimate police vehicle.
Using legal behaviour for illegal acts
While irregularities like these may be tough to spot for a nervous motorist who is seemingly being pulled over by Highway Patrol for breaking the law, it is necessary to look for the finer details to avoid falling victim to these criminals as they are becoming smarter by the day.
The so-called Blue Light gangs have terrorised motorists in Gauteng for years, making use of cloned police vehicles and wearing official uniforms to pull over unsuspecting drivers only to hijack, rob, or even kidnap them.
Additionally, they have been known to conduct unlawful roadblocks to lure people into their trap.
According to Tshwane University of Technology criminologist Kholofelo Rakubu, motorists have become sitting ducks for thieves and hijackers in South Africa as there is no law protecting motorists from a situation such as being pulled over by fake police.
She said it is common law that road users must pull over when instructed to do so by a law enforcement official regardless of where they are, whether it be in a packed city or a deserted backroad.
“Therefore, impersonators use legal behaviour to carry out illegal acts when impersonating officers to rob motorists,” Rakubu told IOL.
“As a result, this form of social identity theft has tremendously reduced citizens’ trust in law enforcement, continues to ruin the reputation of official agencies, and undermines legitimate police work.”
Markings of a legitimate police vehicle. Source: Intelligence Bureau SA
It is thus important to know not only how to identify a cloned police vehicle, but also a fraudulent roadblock.
According to security experts Trellidor, telltale signs of an illegitimate roadblock include:
- The officer’s badge looks fake
- The roadblock is set up in an unusual spot during odd hours
- Officers use unmarked cars with fake or covered-up number plates
If any one of these signals rings an alarm when a seemingly official police officer attempts to pull you over, there are several steps you can take that will not get you in trouble even if the roadblock is genuine.
These include calling 10111 and letting the operator know you are unsure about whether the roadblock is authentic and you will feel unsafe pulling over.
Thereafter, provide the operator with the officer’s vehicle registration number, if you can see it, to confirm that the vehicle belongs to the police.
Alternatively, you can slow down, turn on your hazards, and use your arm to let the police know that you want to be followed.
Proceed by driving at 40km/h to the nearest police or petrol station where there are CCTV cameras and other people around, which should scare off any nefarious actors trying to do you harm.
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