Anger as police officer pinches family parking space

And the Swinton father of two was left fuming by the incident at the Tesco store, in Wath.

“It was annoying as there weren’t any parent and child spaces free and then I saw this police car parked in one." he said.

“There were plenty of normal spaces available nearby—it’s not like the officer would have had to walk far.

“It would be one thing if they had to park quickly in an emergency but the officer didn’t seem to be exactly running inside,” he said.

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“It’s as if the police are abusing their powers because if I parked in a parent and toddler space with no right to do so I would be clamped or fined and rightly so.”

A police spokeswoman said security staff at the store had asked police to deal with a woman shoplifter and the responding officer had parked in a bay close to the door in order to cause as little disruption as possible and carry out their duty efficiently.

“Mindful that if an arrest was made the offender would need to be escorted back to the police car, the officer parked in what was, at the time, the most suitable space available,” she said.

The spokeswoman said that a 30-year-old woman from the local area had been arrested on suspicion of theft and bailed pending further enquiries.

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