Officers investigating an incident whereby two men impersonated police officers in Bournemouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.
At around 7.15pm on Saturday 16 February 2019, a woman aged in her 20s was travelling westbound along the dual carriageway on Ringwood Road toward the Clock Garage roundabout.
A dark-coloured BMW approached her Nissan Almera from behind before flashing its headlights and indicating for the vehicle to stop.
Two men got out of the vehicle wearing high visibility jackets and claimed to her that they were police officers.
They told her that her car had flagged up on their system and asked to see her driving licence. She did not have it to hand and they told her she could be fined and that they could process this at the roadside. She told the men that she did not have any money on her so they told her to bring her logbook to the police station and the pair left.
The first man is described as white, with dark hair and stubble. He was aged in his 30s, five feet seven inches tall and of medium build. He had a diagonal mark on the right hand side of his neck and was wearing dark trousers and a black baseball cap.
The second man is described as white, with short ginger hair and aged in his late 20s. He was of skinny build and wearing dark jeans.
There have not been any further similar reports to date.
Police Inspector Joe Pardey, of the traffic unit, said: “We are making enquiries into the incident and am appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident or has been approached in a similar way to please contact Dorset Police.
“If you were travelling in the area around the time of the incident, please review your dashcam footage and report anything relevant to us.
“We expect our officers to identify a safe place to stop a vehicle and will use blue lights to make the request, not just head lights.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for ID. If in doubt, acknowledge that you have seen the vehicle and drive to a location where you feel safe, for example a petrol station, shop forecourt or well-lit area.
“There are only rare occasions where the police take money at the roadside and this relates to those drivers who are either temporary visitors to the UK or those where we cannot readily identify their address. The officers would always have documentation to support this process.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email [email protected] or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55190026504. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
