'Crosses the line': Police called out for sneaky undercover tactic

Sneaky police tactic sparks debate. Photo / Reddit

A photo of an undercover police car has emerged online, with one detail in the rear window reigniting a fierce debate about whether it is fair.

The photo of the Hyundai i40 was recently posted on Reddit and shows that the Queensland Police had added 'My Family' stickers to the undercover car.

Many people were not pleased about the stickers, saying the deception "crosses the line".

"Having an unmarked car is fine. But this crosses the line into deliberate deception. They lose trust when they effectively lie," one person wrote.

Another added: "Baiting people into doing stupid s**t and bookin em, revenue raising at its finest. You know what stops people driving like idiots? Marked cars. If they just made an effort to get more marked patrol cars moving around in traffic, you'd catch the actual d**kheads."

However, other people believed the police were within their rights to use the stickers, news.com.au reported.

"I've no problem with undercover cops and whatever they do to make themselves more undercover. More chance of catching the idiots on their phones weaving in their lane," one person said.

According to Gold Coast Policing Unit boss Senior Sergeant Bradyn Murphy, it is not illegal for police to disguise themselves using unmarked cars.

"This is not one of the road policing unit cars — it would belong to the Surfers Paradise station, RAP or a detective," he said.

"There is nothing to stop overenthusiastic police adding extra disguises to their cars.

"It is left to their discretion."

Back in 2015 Gold Coast police used P-plates and roof racks to disguise themselves from road users.

British police are also going to new heights to catch drivers using their mobile phones while driving.

A team of officers are using a double-decker bus to spy on drivers from above and catch them.

The new method proved effective with one motorist was spotted texting for 10 seconds just minutes after an officer boarded the bus.

The special double-decker operation took place in Plymouth, Devon, and resulted in more than 130 motorists being caught.