More dirty tricks: 'Sneaky' cop appears to be hiding behind a pole to nab drivers using mobile phones - just months after police pretended to be windscreen washers
- Policeman spotted 'hiding' behind a pole to nab drivers on their phones
- In November Victorian police were spotted 'working' as car windscreen cleaners
- Was part of traffic operation targeting distracted drivers illegally on their phones
Victorian police are renowned for their cunning ploys to catch drivers illegally using their phones - and this could be the best one yet.
A photo uploaded to Facebook page Drug Bus and Police Locations Around Melbourne on Tuesday morning appears to show an officer hiding behind a pole near the Princess Bridge in the CBD ready to nab distracted commuters on their smartphones.
A Victoria Police spokesperson chose not to comment when asked what the officer was doing.
Was this policeman hiding behind a pole to nab drivers using their mobile phones or having a rest ? Opinion was divided on social media
The image had over 100 likes as of Tuesday afternoon and comes just a few months after police were 'caught' on a busy highway in eastern Melbourne posing as windscreen washers.
Pictures at the time posted online showed a man wearing an orange hi-vis jacket walking along a grassy verge as cars waited at traffic lights.
In his right hand was a black and silver squeegee, but the man was not all he seemed.
Undercover police officers have undergone a covert operation to catch drivers on their phones by dressing up as windscreen washers
The Facebook post said: 'This is amazing. Undercover cops pretending to be windscreen washers and catching people on their phones at the lights.'
In a statement given to Daily Mail Australia at the time, Victoria Police said Forest Hill officers were conducting a traffic operation in Nunawading targeting distracted drivers.
A spokesman said: 'Part of the operation involved covert observations of drivers in stationary vehicles.'
The undercover officers would then radio their colleagues 200m down the road, who then pulled the driver over and issued a fine.
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'Police issued 38 infringement notices to drivers for using their mobile phone while driving.'
Taking into account the standard on-the-spot fine, the operation would have earned authorities around $18,390.
The spokesman added officers did not actually wash windscreens.
The cheeky tactic, which quickly went viral, drew widespread praise on social media.
One user said: 'Clever! You know what if it saves lives go for it. The amount of drivers I pass and see them look down at their phones'
One user said: 'Clever! You know what, if it saves lives go for it. The amount of drivers I pass and see them look down at their phones....'
Another also praised the operation, even if it was limited to observing the lights but not the open road.
They said: 'It is meant to change the blase behaviour around touching devices. If you do it at a set of lights, you’re more likely to do it whilst driving.'
But not everyone was thrilled with police resorting to disguises to catch minor misdemeanours, with one user saying 'how low can you go'.
Some, meanwhile, thought the officer could have improved his disguise as 'window washers don't wear hi-vis'
Some, meanwhile, thought the officer could have improved his disguise as 'window washers don't wear hi-vis'.
The penalty for using a mobile phone or device under Victorian law is four demerit points and an on-the-spot fine of $476.
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