Victoria Police launch investigation into how sticker attacking state leader Daniel Andrews appeared on police car

The Facebook post, which has more than 1,100 shares, was published here on October 18, 2020.

The images purport to show a Victoria Police vehicle bearing a sticker which reads “Make Victoria Great Again” and a crossed out image of the state’s premier, Daniel Andrews.

The post’s caption reads: “It seems even Victoria police are sick of this prick”.

Image

A screenshot of the misleading Facebook post as of October 20, 2020.

Melbourne, Victoria’s state capital, became the epicentre of Australia's second wave of coronavirus cases after security bungles led to the virus escaping from hotels used to quarantine travellers returning from overseas.

On September 28, 2020, Melbourne’s five million residents emerged from an almost two-month overnight curfew. Residents also saw a raft of other virus restrictions eased, including childcare centres reopening and small religious services being allowed to resume, AFP reported here.

The images were also shared in these Facebook posts here, here and here with a similar claim.

The claim, however, is misleading.

In response to the misleading posts, a Victoria Police spokesperson told AFP on October 20 that the department was investigating the incident.

“Police are investigating after a sticker was fixed onto a Victoria Police vehicle in Yarra Glenn this morning (18 October),” the statement reads.

“The vehicle was parked and left unattended for a short time, during which an unknown person placed the sticker on the rear window of the vehicle.

“The marked police car was driven to Lilydale before the sticker was noticed and immediately removed.”