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MAN IMPERSONATES POLICE OFFICER TO STEAL LAUGHING GAS

Police are on the hunt for a man who impersonated a police officer during a robbery in the Hunter region earlier this month.

Late in the evening on May 8, a 20-year-old man was delivering nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, he had sold online to a resident on Oakfield Road in Woodberry.

As he pulled up, a man from another car, parked behind him, walked over to the driver’s side, claiming to be a police officer – but, he wasn’t dressed in uniform.

The impersonator reached into the vehicle and attempted to remove the keys from the ignition, before assaulting the delivery driver.

He then stole a package of nitrous oxide from the back seat, ran back to his own car and drove off at speed.

The delivery driver called Triple Zero (000) and later attended Maitland Police Station to report the incident.

The offender is described as being of Caucasian appearance, aged in his 30s, with a tattoo on the front of his neck, wearing a grey hooded jumper and dark trackpants.

Nitrous oxide, also known by the street name ‘nangs’, is a Schedule 4 drug in NSW.

Under the Drugs Misuse and Trafficking Act, nitrous oxide might also be considered a psychoactive substance.

It is an offence to sell and supply the restricted substance without a prescription or without authority.

However, nitrous oxide is also available for a range of uses, which do not involve human consumption, including to whip cream for baking.

Detectives are urging anyone who may live in the nearby Woodberry area with CCTV or dashcam footage between 10pm and 11.30pm on Friday 8 May 2020, or who may have seen or heard anything suspicious, to contact Maitland Police Station on 4934 0200 or call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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