Vic: People urged to watch out for bogus police officer

AAP General News (Australia)
12-22-2004
Vic: People urged to watch out for bogus police officer

By Bianca Wordley and Kate Williams

MELBOURNE, Dec 22 AAP - Victorians have been urged to ask police officers for identification
if they have any doubts, as a man posing as a cop evades capture.

The suspect, a former policeman, is wanted in relation to a number of thefts in the
Melbourne metropolitan area, acting Senior Sergeant John Pattison said today.

He said it was disturbing the man had duped so many victims while wearing a police uniform.

"Victims are going with him willingly initially until they... realise he is not a real
policeman," he said.

"It's obviously disturbing that people are going around portraying themselves to the
public as police officers.

"The public should have confidence in the police, and the way he is conducting his
behaviour is not what we'd expect of police officers."

He warned people to be cautious.

"If they're unsure of who the officer is, ask them to produce some identification.

The police officer should be carrying that, so that's the best way to do it," he said.

He said police were investigating a number leads.

"We believe he may have been sighted yesterday morning in the west Melbourne area," he said.

The man who robbed four people last week, left the police force in the mid-1990s, after
six years.

Last Wednesday he dressed in a police uniform and approached two men in Victoria Street,
Richmond, about 8pm (AEDT).

He searched the men, taking both their wallets, wrote down their details and advised
them to go to the Richmond police station where he would join them later and return their
property.

At 9am the next day, the man approached another man in Victoria Street and advised
the man to get into his car, but the victim fled on foot.

The impersonator chased the victim, took his wallet, mobile phone, jacket and cigarettes,
and ordered him into the car.

He then dropped the man at Richmond police station and advised him to wait inside,
where his property would be returned.

He struck again last Friday at the corner of Clarendon and Albert streets in East Melbourne,
snatching a woman's handbag.

Police believe the man, who continued his crime spree last weekend, drives an older-model
brown Toyota Tarago.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact police.

AAP bw/gfr/maur

KEYWORD: IMPERSONATOR NIGHTLEAD (PIX AVAILABLE)

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