A POLICE car has been defaced by vandals ahead of one of the force's busiest shifts of the year, New Year's Eve.
The BMW i3 was defaced using spray paint while officers in Hackney were dealing with an incident, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.
Officers have labelled the suspect an 'imbecile' after the vehicle was removed from duty ahead of the busy New Year's Eve shift.
A spokesman for Hackney Police said: "Well done to the imbecile who decided to deface one of our marked vehicles.
"This now has to have the markings removed and replaced. As for those cheering on the suspect, shame on you."
Locals have hit back at the force, saying that they should not remove the car, but remove the graffiti using home remedies.
The spokesman added: "We do our best to keep our vehicles clean and tidy to promote the professional standards that we operate to.
"A vehicle covered in graffiti is very unprofessional and depending on what the graffiti represents maybe inappropriate to drive around the community."
The news comes after vandals attacked police cars in Islington, slashing tyres on some of the London force's fleet.
A spokesman for Islington Police said: "Unbelievable, just over the border from us in Hackney. Like our incident a couple of months back.
"All this does is take a valuable resource off the road for repairs and cost money at a time when Metropolitan Police are already financially stretched. Why?"
