Fake flashing blue lights are being sold on Amazon for just £10 amid fears they are being used by criminals to impersonate police officers.
These items are of various kinds, raising further concerns about the safety of street women following the March murder of Sarah Everard.
Wayne Couzens, the Met firearms Officer, was able to use Covid powers on Ms Everard as she walked back from her friend’s house.
Lord Justice Fulford handed down an entire life sentence to Couzens at the Old Bailey. He had pleaded guilty in kidnap and rape to murder.
He was jailed and there were calls to do more to help women in the streets.
However, the cheapest bogus light is the F Fityle Emergency Strobe LED Beacon Light, Warning Flashing Emergency Vehicle Lights for Cars and Trucks – currently available for just £9.99.
An Amazon listing for the cheapest fake flashing blue light available for just £9.99. It attaches to the topmost part of your vehicle
You can also attach other types of flashing lights to your vehicle grill, similar to unmarked police vehicles
Two women share their tales of being stopped by fake officers over the past week using blue lights.
Ad for flashing lights to fit on the grille of cars. These lights have raised further concerns about women’s safety.
The roof is attached to the vehicle in a similar way to an old marked police car.
More robust versions are available, too, including the Blue 12V Emergency Beacon Flashing Lights which are said to be specifically for police cars and come fitted with a ‘strong magnet’.
These lights are available for £19.99, with the seller claiming they are ‘weather proof’ and will not detach in the wind or rain.
The Teguangmei 4×6 LED Car Emergency Strobe Flashing Beacon Lights have a wireless remote to activate them and are £29.99, while the most expensive is the Sidaqi Blue 16LED Grille Strobe Warning Lights Dash at £32.
Milly Funari Sherman (31 years old) was pulled over by a vehicle with fake police lights as she drove home from St Albans in Hertfordshire on Wednesday.
Milly called 999 and three men got out.
According to the caller, she was asked to keep her vehicle in motion and slowly lower the windows when they approach.
But she fled when she saw the dangers she was facing as an individual woman.
Ms Funari-Sherman said: ‘I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, but when you see blue lights you automatically assume something is wrong, so I pulled over anyway.
“I was afraid as a single female, and quite scared that they would chase me.”
This happened because Wayne Couzens, a former Met officer, used his position as a means to kidnap and then rape Sarah Everard.
A commercial boasts the light’s high power brightness. It is possible that the light could be used to impersonate officers by criminals.
Additionally, she said that the 999 phone handler had agreed that driving away was a great idea. Her vehicle didn’t pursue her.
A woman shared her experience with her mother getting stopped on Thursday night by identical lights.
Unnamed women claimed that her mother was forced to get out of her car by tracksuit-clad fraudsters who said her vehicle wasn’t insured.
She said: ”He was dressed in a tracksuit saying he’s undercover. Their flashing blue-red light was visible, and that is why I pulled over.
‘But when I saw him my gut instinct was this isn’t right.
He said, “I ensured that doors were securely locked. And don’t open the window more than half inch from them. This would make it difficult for me to hear you.”
“He was insistent for about 5-10 mins, finally driving off when he reached for his phone. Believe your gut. The police stated that I did an excellent job.
Amazon was contacted for comment.