A volunteer police officer with the Metropolitan Police has been dismissed without notice after he illegally modified his personal car to look and act like a genuine emergency response vehicle.
The Fake Police Car Incidents
Special Constable Jacob Milanov fitted blue lights and sirens to his Peugeot and drove it around West London on multiple occasions in June and July 2025. According to a Met Police misconduct report, he used the vehicle on eight separate trips, passing iconic landmarks including Piccadilly, Chelsea Bridge, Parliament Square and Westminster Bridge.
The volunteer officer's actions came to light in the early hours of 12 July 2025. Officers from the Central West command unit were alerted to a vehicle being driven while off duty. They stopped the Peugeot and found Milanov in the driver's seat.
Unauthorised Kit and Admissions
A search of his vehicle revealed a cache of unauthorised police equipment. Officers discovered:
- Three handheld radios
- A Metropolitan Police memo pad and beacon
- Evidence bags and gaffer tape
Milanov also had a Met Police uniform from which the 'special constable' badges had been removed. When questioned by the officers who stopped him, he admitted using the blue lights on "side roads".
Milanov did not have the required clearance or training to drive using emergency lights or to possess some of the equipment found in his car. His LinkedIn profile indicates he also works as a data analyst for holiday company TUI.
Dismissal and Reputational Risk
A misconduct hearing was held in London in December 2025. Milanov did not attend the hearing or send a legal representative, though he did submit emails stating that he loved volunteering for the police.
Presenting officer PC Andy Brittain concluded that Milanov's actions were "intentional and planned", noting he had specifically arranged to obtain the lights for his vehicle and then used them. PC Brittain stated that Milanov had "not expressed insight" into the seriousness of his conduct or taken responsibility for it.
The ruling emphasised the significant risk of reputational damage to the Metropolitan Police Service. "I am satisfied that if [the public] were aware it would have undermined confidence in policing," PC Brittain wrote in his findings. He assessed the officer's culpability as high.
As a result, Jacob Milanov was dismissed for gross misconduct without notice and will be barred from serving in policing in the future.
