He’s been nicked! – PC Bob goes missing in the line of traffic duty

Force colleagues appeal for help in tracing decoy crime-fighter

One of Fife’s most well-known police officers has apparently been “kidnapped”.

Two-dimensional traffic officer Pop-up Bob went missing while on duty and has not been seen since.

Distraught colleagues have issued an appeal for help in tracing him.

Pop-up Bob is a realistic, life-size image of a police officer with a mobile speed gun, which is deployed across the region to deter motorists from driving too fast.

The cut-out crime-fighter made of glass fibre was stationed on the B937 at Charlottetown, between the A92 and Collessie, when he vanished.

He is usually secured to a lamp-post or other structure and acts as a decoy, tricking unsuspecting drivers tempted to break the speed limit into believing they are approaching a real police officer. His novel approach to tackling speeding has obviously fallen flat with his abductor.

Police in north-east Fife pleaded for their colleague to be returned for duty, posting on Twitter: “He is an invaluable member of our team and we would like to see his safe return #BringBobBack.”

The theft happened between 1.30 and 2.30pm on Thursday.

It was not the first crime to afflict Scotland’s pop-up squad.

Just over a month ago Pop-up Bob’s Perthshire counterpart, Pop-up Jim, met a sticky end, cut in half while in service in Almondbank.

Pop-up Jim, who was recruited for road safety duty by parents group Child Safety Methven, usually manned the busy A85 but was on secondment when he was vandalised on July 18.

It is hoped Bob remains in one piece and will able to resume his work soon.

Anyone with information on Bob’s whereabouts is asked to call police on 101.

Pop-up Bob has been used to improve road safety around Fife since 2014 and is deployed to various spots where speeding is an issue.

Similar tools are used by Police Scotland and local authorities elsewhere to tackle speeding in problem areas.

“He is an invaluable member of our team and we would like to see his safe return POLICE IN NORTHEAST FIFE

Pop-up Bob on duty at his regular spot shortly before his disappearance.