A councillor has written to the chief constable of Police Scotland after road checks on the A90 between Perth and Dundee saw drivers stuck in tailbacks as long as 3km.
A Road Policing Scotland spokesperson said the operation at Bullionfield, by Invergowrie, targeted “unsafe vehicles and criminals using the road networks” and was “in response to recent thefts”.
Carse of Gowrie councillor Alasdair Bailey penned the letter asking Sir Iain Livingstone to fully explain the purpose of Friday’s operation, the rationale for closing a lane and causing lengthy queues while it was carried out and if it is the force’s intention to conduct further similar operations on the road in future.
The operation saw a lane closure on the northbound side all the way back to Longforgan.
Many vehicles were stopped and searched at the checkpoint, which took place from noon until around 2pm.
Cllr Bailey said: “I’m very concerned that Police Scotland caused 20-minute 3km-long tailbacks on the A90 towards Dundee for what appeared to be a non-emergency operation.”
In his letter he states: “The lane closure appears to have been in place to facilitate a vehicle checkpoint.
“Public transport and other road users were held up by up to 20 minutes on their journeys as a result.
“I’m therefore concerned about the rationale of closing a lane to facilitate a non-emergency operation. Was the operation indeed a routine vehicle check?
“Traffic queues on trunk roads are inherently dangerous, what was the safety rationale for causing this one?
“Is it Police Scotland’s intention to carry out further vehicle checks at this location?
“Thank you in advance for your assistance in addressing my concerns.
“I fully appreciate that Police Scotland needs to conduct vehicle inspections and that the element of surprise is important in such matters but I question the rationale and especially the safety case.”
Speaking to the PA yesterday Cllr Bailey added: “I realise that the police have an important job to do but I’m asking these questions because of the level of disruption caused to the general public and especially bus users by what appeared to be a non-emergency operation.
“The knock-on delays on the buses meant that journeys were affected for many hours afterwards. I’ll share the response when I receive one from Police Scotland and I thank them for their time.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We have received correspondence in relation to road checks on the A90 at Bullionfield, Dundee, on Friday, June 24, 2022.
“A response will be sent in due course.”
