THREE men impersonating police officers drove a woman home while sounding a siren and flashing blue lights.

The woman met the men in the area of Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth in the early hours of the morning.

One of the men showed her a fake warrant card, and she was taken back to her home in a silver Volvo, with unknown registration plates.

While driving, the men reportedly lit a blue flashing light and sounded a siren fitted to the vehicle.

The car, with the three men and the woman inside, drove away from Glen Fern Road car park and was last seen driving on Boundary Road and turning into Columbia Road.

The men dropped the woman off at an address in Bournemouth, and she was not harmed in any way.

She had no further contact with the men.

Officers investigating this suspected police impersonation at 3.30am on Thursday, November 30 are appealing to the public for information.

Police Constable Jordan Skinner, of Bournemouth police, said: “This was a very uncomfortable experience for the woman involved, who placed her trust in three men who did not turn out to be who they claimed to be. It is fortunate that the victim did not come to any harm. Impersonating a police officer is a very serious offence, which ultimately undermines and erodes the public’s confidence in policing.

“Therefore, we are carrying out an investigation to establish the full circumstances of this incident. We have obtained CCTV images of the vehicle involved and the three men we would like to identify. I appreciate these are not great quality and their faces cannot be clearly seen, but it may be someone can recognise them from the clothing they are wearing.

“I would like to hear from anyone who was in the area around the relevant time and witnessed any suspicious activity. I would also urge any motorists who were driving in the vicinity and may have relevant dashcam footage, or residents with home CCTV or doorbell cameras, to please check their devices for anything that might assist our enquiries.”

Anyone with information should contact Dorset Police at dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55230189382. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.