A Kirriemuir driver has jokingly threatened to call on TV’s Line of Duty chief Ted Hastings after spotting a police van parked in a disabled spot.
Former university lecturer Alan Draper has a blue badge after being fitted with an internal defibrillator and suffering heart failure.
Mr Draper, who is ‘in his late eighties’, tried to park in the space during a trip to the High Street newsagents on Saturday morning.
He claims the van had been parked for more than an hour.
In Scotland, it is illegal to park in a disabled bay without a valid blue badge.
Mr Draper said: “On that particular morning, when it was reasonably quiet, I was surprised to see the police car there and wondered why it had stopped.
“Having picked up my paper I wandered off for a coffee. When I came back it was still there.
“There was no explanation as to why it was there.
“I took photographs of it thinking: ‘Well, I hope the police have a sense of humour’.
“I thought it may be referred to Superintendent Hastings at AC-12.”
AC-12 is the police professional standards unit in cop drama Line of Duty, starring Adrian Dunbar as Hastings.
Police Scotland confirmed officers were forced to park the van in the spot due to an incident nearby.
A spokesperson said: “At around 7.35am on Saturday, we responded to an emergency call in the Crofthead area of Kirriemuir.
“Officers found a property insecure and provided immediate assistance to members of the public requiring assistance.
“The incident lasted around two hours, but was concluded safely and no criminality was established.”
Police parking in disabled spot in Kirriemuir an ‘inconvenience’
In response, Mr Draper said: “That raises the question, why were they there for over an hour? Normally you’d hear alarms going off.
“I don’t accept that.
“If it was, for example, a member of the public who said a property seems insecure, you’d certainly park near but definitely not there.
“They didn’t need to leave it there for so long and they should say sorry.
“It was an inconvenience. If you have a particularly disabled person who has difficulty getting in and out of the car and crossing the street, it would be difficult for them especially if they have to find somewhere else.
“It’s not something they should do. They can look for excuses but they don’t really have one.
“An incident involving property doesn’t mean you have to go off all lights blazing. It was there for some time.
“I won’t refer the matter to AC-12 now.”
Nearly 500 pavement parking tickets were issued in the first three months of the rules being enforced in Angus.
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