A fake police car is catching the attention of Wellingtonians with images of the mysterious vehicle gathering hundreds of comments on Facebook.
The photos show what appears to be a standard New Zealand police Holden Commodore, except there are signs on the windows which read "THIS IS NOT A REAL POLICE CAR" and a thick strip of duct tape covering the 'police' lettering at the rear.
Facebook users have attempted to figure out why the car was marked this way, some suggesting a mechanic was driving it, others guessing a new owner is taking it to get signage stripped.
"Maybe on its way to a movie location for filming - not allowed to impersonate police in a public place… I can’t think of why else it wouldn’t be a 'real police car'," another user suggested.
So why was this vehicle so desperately trying to convince the public it wasn't a police car?
On Tuesday a police spokesperson confirmed the car was in fact a vehicle used in the film industry.
"It is not uncommon for films and productions to involve police vehicles," the spokesperson said.
"While official New Zealand police branded vehicles are not available for loan or hire, there are companies that hire look-alike police vehicles."
They said any cars hired for filming "must not include" the New Zealand Police Crest or the Coat of Arms as part of vehicle design.
Actors are not allowed to drive these fake cars to location while wearing a look-alike police uniform and are required to cover lightbars.
"This reduces the risks of the public confusing them with operational Police vehicles. In this instance, those guidelines were followed, along with the additional step of making it clear on the windows that the car is not an official police car."
The spokesperson said the vehicle was being used for the filming of TV series Wellington Paranormal. The photos shared on Facebook show the car travelling to the filming location.
In 2018 a west Auckland man was ordered off the road after he modified a Holden Commodore to look like an official south Australian police vehicle.
He spent $3000 dressing the car up in police markings to be told he was not allowed to drive it in public unless he covered up the word 'police'.
