In an amusing twist of events, a police inspector has revealed how he was initially deceived by a clever bird mimicking the sound of a police siren at Thames Valley Police's Bicester station in Oxfordshire, UK.

Simon Hills, a member of the roads policing unit, recounted the incident to the BBC, detailing how the two-tone impression of a siren initially led officers to believe that a car was malfunctioning at the station.

This footage was filmed and produced 10 April 2024.

In an amusing twist of events, a police inspector has revealed how he was initially deceived by a clever bird mimicking the sound of a police siren at Thames Valley Police's Bicester station in Oxfordshire.

Simon Hills, a member of the roads policing unit, recounted the incident to the BBC, detailing how the two-tone impression of a siren initially led officers to believe that a car was malfunctioning at the station.

Hills explained, "I sat at my desk after a weekend off and in the distance I could hear the faint sound of what sounded like a police siren and, because we repair a lot of police cars here, I thought it was maybe one that was defective and the battery was starting to go flat."

Upon investigation, it was discovered that the source of the deceptive sound was none other than a male blackbird, utilizing its remarkable vocal abilities both to attract a mate and to assert its dominance over its territory.

Describing the encounter, Insp Hills humorously noted, "I came outside and looked up into the trees and I could see the bird up in the trees, clearly mimicking the sirens in a really professional way."

In response to queries about whether the avian imposter should face charges for impersonating a police car, Insp Hills quipped, "If it starts to put a uniform on and use some of its policing powers then we might have to look at it."

The incident sparked lighthearted banter among social media users, with some jokingly speculating whether the bird belonged to "special branch" or the "flying squad."

Phil Bruss, representing the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, shed light on the bird's behavior, explaining that the purpose of its melodious performance was twofold: to attract a mate and to ward off potential rivals from its territory.