PHOTO: Fake gendarmerie car seen in France - with Dutch number plates
Citroën Xantia had undergone total renovation and had ‘GENDARMERIE’ written on its side but had kept its original plates
The vehicle does not match any official police design, but would likely fool the average driver
Gendarmerie de la Savoie / Facebook
French gendarmes came across an unlikely discovery on a recent patrol – a car transformed to look like a classic police vehicle but with Dutch number plates.
Police from the Saint-Sorlin-d’Arves brigade in Savoie spotted the Citroën Xantia parked in a small village during their rounds.
The car, which is registered in the Netherlands, has the words ‘GENDARMERIE’ in capital letters on its side as well as red and white chevrons on the bonnet.
It does not match any design of a current or former gendarmerie vehicle however, and seems more like an homage to the authorities than an attempt to genuinely imitate them.
In addition, it clearly displays the name of a Dutch company that specialises in renovating Citroën vehicles.
You can see more photos of the car below:
Imitating police is illegal
The police who found the car were initially confused, however they joked about their finding on Savoie Gendarme’s social media page.
“We appreciate our fans,” they said in a post showing the vehicle.
They reminded people however that driving a vehicle made to look like – or that could be confused with – an official police vehicle is illegal in France.
This can come with a €7,500 fine and up to six months in prison.
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