Officer warned on disabled space

policeman has been reprimanded for illegally parking a police van in a disabled bay at a supermarket car park.

The officer, who has not been named, has been warned about his "unacceptable behaviour" by bosses at Greater Manchester Police following an inquiry.

The incident came to light when a shopper at the Asda store in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, spotted the van on 30 March and took a photograph. GMP said they will pay any fine and are "happy to discuss it with the manager".

In February, Asda introduced on-the-spot fines for people caught using disabled spaces without a blue badge at 18 stores in Greater Manchester, including Rochdale. Money raised by the fines, which started on 25 February, are donated to baby charity Tommy's and Motability, a national disabled charity.

A force spokesman said: "GMP has identified the officer concerned and investigated the circumstances. The officer had no justifiable reason for parking in the space and has been warned about his behaviour, which was unacceptable. All GMP officers are advised with regard to their responsibilities when parking their vehicle and they should keep this in mind at all times. We have told the store that we will pay any fine we owe and are happy to discuss it with the manager."

Owen McGhee, chief executive of the Association of Wheelchair Children, described the officer's actions as "outrageous." "People who aren't entitled to use disabled bays should not use them as it deprives others who really need them and causes lots and lots of problems," he said. "It is worse when the police do it as they are supposed to be guarding the interests of others, including disabled people, so to sit in one of these spaces is doubly outrageous."

A spokeswoman for Asda said: "The reason we have decided to have these rules regarding special car park bays is to ensure that people who need them the most, such as people with disabilities and children, get them.

"Everyone should respect these spaces and if they don't, they run the risk of getting a £60 fine. There is nothing stopping GMP from making a donation to Motabilty or Tommy's, or if they want to make a donation to the Asda Foundation that would be a nice gesture and appreciated."