From this BBC article

“Anyone who is signalled at to stop by someone in a car which may appear to be an unmarked police is asked not to stop but to call 999 immediately to verify whether the vehicle and its occupants are genuine.”

So what happens if the car *IS* a real police car – would they then charge you for using a phone illegally if you don’t have hands-free?

And also failure to stop when instructed to do so, probably.

You can use a mobile while driving in the case of an emergency.

Instructions to lone drivers who aren’t sure if the Police car is genuine have always been to drive to nearest safe/busy place, phone if safe or drive to a police station.

Shock news is not news shocker.

You can always explain yourself: “but I read it on STW!” 8)

Id just carry on to the nearest police station

I can spot a fake police car when I see one.

You can use a mobile while driving in the case of an emergency.

Wot he said.

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q587.htm

The drivers of an unmarked car would not be surprised if you drove carefully to somewhere safe, public, and well lit before stopping. In fact, if the unmarked car did anything other than follow you it would be a good indication that they’re not, in fact, the police.

lone driver in say unfamiliar area – how do you *find* a (manned) police station?

lone driver in say unfamiliar area – how do you *find* a (manned) police station?

Google Maps. Well maybe not a police station, but a Starbucks.

You can use a mobile while driving in the case of an emergency.

Yeah I guess that makes sense really 😳

Or if you do stop and are unsure, have the doors locked and only wind the window down just enough to talk through it to express your concern and ask for id/warrant card.

They had a gun though

I think I’d rather take the chance and stop for fake armed police letting them steal my shit than risk not stopping for real armed police and end up dead.

You won’t* get shot for not stopping. If you just continue driving normally while talking to the police on the phone you’ll be fine. That’s not to say the ones that try to stop you won’t be arsey about it, but you won’t get convicted of owt for it. You have a reasonable excuse for not stopping immediately and a defence to using your phone. If you end up with 3 or 4 police cars behind you setting up to T-Pac you, it’s probably the real police 🙂

*assuming you’re in the UK.

Exactly what thegreatape said.

Thing is, the Police don’t generally stop people for no reason. No really, it’s true.

So if you haven’t done anything wrong & you’re just driving along, just keep driving along & phone the police explaining what’s happening & why you thinks it’s not real. Hopefully (but really not guaranteed) the powers that be will have told anyone likely to stop you in a plain car not to for a while until the incidents are sorted. Like I say, the message may not have got through (speaking from experience here), so do phone the police immediately.

This thread just reminded me of back in my yoof(ish), was driving along and my cousin decided to lob a chocolate milkshake out the window and it bounced off the bonnet of a blue ford escort. The 2 guys in the car chased us for a bit and we thought we were gonna get our heads kicked in if we stopped, eventually they put a blue flashing light on their roof and we pulled over. They were pretty pissed off but somehow my cousin talked his way out of it. The end.

ask for id/warrant card.

The problem is, if they were fake police, they could have a fake warrant card – I certainly wouldn’t know how to tell a real card from a fake seeing as I don’t know what a real one looks like.

Thing is, the Police don’t generally stop people for no reason. No really, it’s true.

They might want to stop you for a reason that you’re not aware of though. So how can you tell the difference between no reason and a reason you don’t know about – I’ve been stopped for having a tail light out for instance – but not before an odd cat a mouse thing where I thought they were trying to get past me rather than stop me.

If you’re a van driver you’ll be more than used to being stopped for no real reason that you as the driver would be aware of – often reasons that don’t really pertain to you or your vehicle or actions at all.