Two men in a BMW estate car wearing black trousers and white shirts with plastic numbers on their shoulders posed as policemen in Offord D’Arcy on Saturday evening.

Crime reduction officer Dave Griffin said that the two men, who had a dog in a cage in the back of the vehicle, stopped a member of the public by flashing car lights and then searched both the occupant and the vehicle.

Cambridgeshire Police do use this type of vehicle, but they are fitted with blue lights and sirens, which would be used to stop a driver in their vehicle.

“Unmarked police BMWs will not carry dogs and officers will generally be in uniform, wearing identification badges and will always produce their warrant card on request, while plain clothes officers will produce their warrant card to introduce themselves,” said the officer in a statement.

He warned that if anyone was concerned about a vehicle or people purporting to be police officers, they should contact Cambridgeshire Police to verify the vehicle and officer details, and drive to a well-lit location where there are a number of people around before stopping.