Undercover police officers dressed as windscreen washers undertake a covert operation in Melbourne's east to catch drivers on their phones. Photo / Facebook
Undercover police officers dressed as windscreen washers undertake a covert operation in Melbourne's east to catch drivers on their phones. Photo / Facebook
Undercover police in Australia have conducted a sting operation posing as squeegee guys to nab drivers using mobile phones.
An officer in a high-vis shirt and appearing to wear an ear piece was captured by an eagle-eyed photographer yesterday who shared the images on Facebook.
"This is amazing. Undercover cops pretending to be windscreen washers and catching people on their phones at the lights," the person captioned the post.
Victoria Police say the traffic operation, which took place at a major intersection in Nunawading in Melbourne's east, targeted "distracted'' drivers.
"Part of the operation involved covert observations of drivers in stationary vehicles. Police issued 38 infringement notices to drivers for using their mobile phone while driving,'' a Victoria Police statement said.
The operation ran on Springvale Rd and Maroondah Highway.
It is claimed the undercover officers approached cars under the guise of cleaning windows but instead monitored if motorists were using their phones while driving.
The undercover officers would then radio uniformed officers parked roughly 200m down the road, who would pull the driver over and issue the fine.
It is estimated the undercover sting operation netted A$18,392 (NZ$19,666) in fines. Photo / Facebook
The Facebook post has since gone viral, with social media commenters praising the work of the officers.
"Clever! You know what if it saves lives go for it. The amount of drivers I pass and see them look down at their phones," one user said.
"It is meant to change the blase behaviour around touching devices. If you do it at a set of lights, you're more likely to do it whilst driving," another said.
But no everyone agreed with the officer's tactics, with one user saying "how low can you go".
One person complained that their camouflage was not on point and said "window washers don't wear hi-vis".
In New Zealand those caught window washing are given a $150 spot fine after Parliament passed a new law last year. However, roadside window washers are only legal in the ACT in Australia.
That ruling has still been challenged in Canberra in recent years, with one coroner partly blaming the practice for distracting a driver at an intersection - who was then fatally struck by a truck with faulty brakes.
Those caught using a mobile phone while driving are usually fined A$484 (NZ$518) in Australia and have four demerit points deducted from their licence where in New Zealand a fine is NZ$80 and 20 demerit points.
It is estimated the sting operation netted A$18,392 (NZ$19,666) in fines.
However, what is not known is how much the undercover cops made in tips from cleaning car windows.
