Devon & Cornwall Police response team officers were given an £85 fine for parking their marked police vehicle as they dealt with a call for help that had been made by a member of the public.
The ridiculous parking charge notice gives ‘Devon and Cornwall Police’ 28 days to pay nearly £100 even though emergency vehicles are exempt from parking restrictions.
The police vehicle had been left in a carpark for around 35 minutes at midnight on 2nd November.
Despite emergency vehicles being exempt from parking charges, the crass parking firm responsible for the ticket insisted that officers had to waste their valuable time by ‘submitting an appeal’.
Response team officers tweeted their frustration with their followers, pointing out that their time would be wasted by filling in an appeal for a parking ticket that should not have been issued in the first place.
According to the notice, the marked police vehicle was left in the car park between 23:55 and 00:29 GMT without a valid Pay by Phone transaction.
A spokesperson for Devon & Cornwall Police said their vehicles are exempt from parking fines while performing “operational duties”.
Image credit: @PlyASecResp
Officers also said that they contacted the company responsible to request the ticket be cancelled but were told that the “appeals process must be followed”.
One officer tweeted to say:
“It is fair to say that officers would rather be spending their time responding to 999 calls than dealing with an appeal for a parking ticket.”
Officers from Plymouth Response Team ‘A Section’ also tweeted to say that the company should “please hold calling 999” while they fill out their written appeal.
Thousands of emergency services supporters were quick to point out the absurdity of the response from the company responsible, for not rescinding the ticket.
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I would fine the parking ticket company for wasting police time. To give a ticket for a response vehicle is absolutely ridiculous
Frankly, they should ignore the ticket, the Chief Constable should summon the CEO of the “Company” to Police HQ and instruct the idiot to dismiss the moron responsible!! The police have enough to do without appeasing pricks like this!!
What company did this DICKHEAD work for, PLEASE let us know so that we can bombard them !