Earlier this month a video from a member of the public, uncovering a police officer operating undercover as a window washer with the hopes of catching unsuspecting drivers in Manurewa on their phones or running red lights went viral.
Over the last week, we have seen a number of reactions from across the country, some seriously analysing the situation, others taking a more light-hearted approach.
After seeing the video of the incident, first posted to Today FM, Tik Tok lawyer Riiana Hohaia responded. She said she "didn't even know where to start" with the video before analysing the video compared to NZ Police's Code of Conduct.
The Code of Conduct talks about how the NZ Police want to be seen as "trusted" and "ethical", and how they pride themselves on being one of the most trusted police forces in the world.
A popular Kiwi tik toker also made this video, implying that there are far more serious matters the police could be tackling.
A few Kiwis shared their new thought process knowing the next window washer they see could potentially be a cop on the lookout for any illegal activity.
This last one comes from @unklephil685, and he talks about how the whole situation has him feeling even more anxious when seeing window washers.
"Not only do I feel guilty that I'm not gonna give them money, but now I feel like I'm going to get arrested if I say yes, because I'm going to be helping someone doing something illegal," he said.
The original video caused a lot of controversy - was it ethical what the police were doing? Was it legal? And was it an appropriate use of the already limited resources police have?
Since then, Counties Manukau Road Policing Manager Inspector Tony Wakelin has scrapped the practice, saying, "we acknowledge the officer dressing to appear as a window washer is not appropriate and we will be communicating with our staff that this should not be happening in future."
