Cause for offence

A British woman called the police to report that her scarecrow had been stolen, only to discover that the scarecrow had in fact been taken into custody by the police. The offending scarecrow had been placed outside a village dressed in a high visibility jacket and a police uniform, to highlight a scarecrow festival in the village.
March 1, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
A British woman called the police to report that her scarecrow had been stolen, only to discover that the scarecrow had in fact been taken into custody by the police. The offending scarecrow had been placed outside a village dressed in a high visibility jacket and a police uniform, to highlight a scarecrow festival in the village. The local police had been informed that this would take place and had given their approval. However when police drove past they spotted that the scarecrow also sported a fake radar detector made of cardboard. Realising that the fake cardboard radar gun posed a safety potential hazard and could have caused passing drivers to become alarmed, the police rushed the offending scarecrow into a police vehicle and took it to the local police station. A spokesperson explained that impersonating a police officer is an offence and added that the scarecrow sent an inappropriate message to motorists. The scarecrow maker commented that the fake radar gun was actually intended to encourage motorists to slow down.

Related Content

  • Solar roads such as Colas’s Wattway could be the right way
    May 10, 2016
    Peter Harrop, chairman of independent research and consultancy IDTechEx, considers arguments in favour of solar roads. Nowadays a major trend is the move to off-grid clean energy created by “energy harvesting” to produce electricity where it is needed. This is more controllable and increasingly at lower cost than grid power or diesel gensets, cleaner and often less subject to interruption. It is taking new forms as revealed in the IDTechEx Research report, “High Power Energy Harvesting 2016-2026”.
    Read More
  • Noise needed for quiet cars
    January 9, 2014
    Electric vehicles and hybrids should be fitted with noise emission equipment to reduce danger levels for the blind and partially sighted, according to the European Blind Union (EBU). The EBU is calling on the EU to make noise generators compulsory for all electric and hybrid vehicles due to the obvious risks these pose to blind and partially sighted people. Hybrid vehicles generally run in electric mode when operating at lower speeds in the urban cycle and generate very little engine noise, while electric v
    Read More
  • Drone embarrassment
    April 13, 2017
    A drone enthusiast captured the embarrassing moment that the driver of an Uber vehicle unsuccessfully tried to cross a tidal causeway in the UK. The drone owner was taking some aerial footage when he spotted the car making the crossing from the Holy Island back to the mainland. The tide was rushing in however, resulting in the car getting a good soaking. Luckily the driver managed to reach a higher point in the crossing so that the vehicle was saved from being totally awash. One of the passengers was rather
    Read More
  • Bangkok biker safety programme unveiled
    July 26, 2016
    The authorities in Thai capital Bangkok are launching a new mass media campaign aimed at increasing awareness around helmet use. This is a critical road safety issue in a country where over 60% of motorists use motorcycles. In collaboration with Vital Strategies and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), Bangkok’s campaign will encourage motorcyclists to wear helmets. The campaign will also encourage powered two wheeler riders to properly fasten helmet buckles, a key compone
    Read More

Highlighted Content