By: The driver of a look-a-like RCMP cruiser has been charged by police in Manitoba with operating a counterfeit police vehicle.
A 23-year-old man was charged under the Highway Traffic Act after officers spotted a private vehicle equipped like an unmarked RCMP vehicle, including having a push-bar, spotlight and roof-mounted antenna, RCMP Westman Traffic Services said Wednesday.
A 23-year-old man has charged under the Highway Traffic Act after officers spotted a private car equipped like an unmarked RCMP vehicle. (Supplied)
The only difference between a real RCMP vehicle and the one pulled over on May 7 on a service road off Highway 10 in the Rural Municipality of Minto-Odanah was the make, said. Sgt. Mark Hume, unit commander.
"Police no longer use (Ford) Crown Victoria cars, but the general public may not realize this," Hume said in a statement.
The driver was also given a vehicle defect notice, which means he will have to take the car to MPI for an inspection to ensure he has removed the police-type equipment. If the driver doesn’t, the car will be pulled from the road and he will have his insurance and registration suspended.
The issue of fake police cruisers has been in the spotlight during a public inquiry into a April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia.
The inquiry has heard the killer put together a fully marked RCMP Ford Taurus by buying decommissioned police vehicles from the federal government’s online auction site, before using it during a rampage which left 22 people dead in just over 13 hours.
"It is important for the public to know that it is illegal for civilian vehicles to have any equipment that could cause someone to mistake it for a police vehicle," Hume said.
"The RCMP takes these issues very seriously, and we ask that people report look-a-like police vehicles to their local RCMP detachment or police service so we can follow up."
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is one of the more versatile reporters at the Winnipeg Free Press. Whether it is covering city hall, the law courts, or general reporting, Rollason can be counted on to not only answer the 5 Ws — Who, What, When, Where and Why — but to do it in an interesting and accessible way for readers.
