A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of impersonating a PSNI officer after he allegedly detained after an off-duty cop.
The off-duty officer was travelling on the M1 towards Portadown at around 1am when he was allegedly pulled over by the driver of a vehicle which he believed to be a police car.
The suspect was in an unmarked grey Skoda Superb, registration FT62 CEX, which had been fitted with blue flashing lights. He reportedly presented an ID card and stated that the off duty officer had been driving too fast.
Recognising that the ID card was not a legitimate PSNI warrant card, the officer got out of his car and challenged the man, who immediately drove off at speed.
The suspect was subsequently located in the Bluestone Hall area of Craigavon and was arrested. A homemade ‘PSNI Identity card’ was found inside the vehicle.
Chief Inspector Barney O’Connor said police are concerned by this incident.
“We would like to hear from anyone who believes they may have encountered this man while he has been purporting to be a police officer. We believe it is possible that this is not the first occasion he has done this and he was simply unlucky to have pulled over a police officer.
“The man is described as white, approximately 5’ 9” tall, medium build with brown hair and blue eyes and spoke with a Polish accent.
“If you believe you have had any contact with this individual or his vehicle, please get in touch with police by calling 101, quoting reference 44 of 14 October 2020,” he added.