This New Zealand police force lost some major street cred
Unlike American police cars, New Zealand police cars are easily identifiable and stand out thanks to its bright livery. They do have a few undercover ones to catch would-be speeders and scofflaws off guard. So, when the Waikato, NZ police force announced to their local constituents via Facebook to follow the law and stay on their toes thanks to a new undercover squad car, they thought, “messaged received.”
One big mistake, instead of making a proper silhouette that no small bit of photoshop could reveal, they simply blacked out the shape of the undercover cop car. It took less than an hour before someone pumped up the contrast and revealed the car underneath, a new Holden Equinox (or what we call a Chevrolet Equinox here.)
Here’s a photo of a standard New Zealand police car, a copy of their original post (since it’s been deleted to save face,) and their admitting defeat below.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnd here’s the big reveal.
To add insult to injury, the Waikato police force also issued a press release with a photo of their unmarked car earlier last July!
The vehicles will come in a range of colours, so will blend in with any other car on the road. This means motorists should be mindful that any other car driving around them could be a Police vehicle.
I think this New Zealand police force underestimates the ability of the standard driver to keep a handful of front fascias in the back burner of their mind.
As a driver here, I’ve already committed the Crown Victoria, Ford Explorer, Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Caprice, and Tahoe Pursuit front ends to memory. It should be easy-peasy for these kiwis to commit a Chevrolet Equinox front to memory.
The best thing anyone could’ve done was not say anything at all. But, like most local bureaucracy, if no one makes a press release, did it even happen?
Also, if you’re curious where exactly Waikato is, here’s a Maps embed below.