Police have condemned the deliberate actions of an offender who rammed a police vehicle and injured the driver before driving off at speed.

The incident occurred last night at around 8.30pm when an officer was driving slowly down Gaunt Street in Invermay looking for a vehicle of interest that had been seen driving dangerously earlier in the evening.

As the police vehicle passed, the offending driver reversed straight into it.  The offending driver then drove off at speed.

Police have spoken to witnesses and are following a specific line of enquiry to identify and locate the offender.

“This was a deliberate act, designed to cause damage and injury,” said Northern District Commander Brett Smith.

“The officer sustained whiplash injuries and he will require some time to recover,” he said.

The police vehicle received moderate damage to the front passenger side.