IT was toothy grins all round after police responded to reports of a crocodile lurking near a small village — and found it was a toy.
They were called out by alarmed residents who said they had spotted what they thought was the fearsome reptile swimming in floodwater.
But the long arm of the law did not have to grapple with a man-eating monster.
Officers were relieved to discover it was just the plastic head of a pretend croc placed there as a joke.
Snappy snaps taken by the crocodile hunters of Thames Valley Police show the head peeking out of the water next to their car near Cholesbury, Bucks.
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One officer was even photographed pretending to wrestle with it.
The force joked about the humorous encounter on Facebook, writing: “Crikey! It’s not every day that you get sent to reports of a crocodile in flood water near Cholesbury.
“Do not be alarmed, the croc is now with us at the police station.
“Did you know that it is not that difficult to tell alligators and crocodiles apart?
"One will see you later whereas the other will see you in a while.”