Police say an 'error was made by a new technician' after a picture of a speed camera van parked on double yellow went viral on social media. The van was parked on Market Street in Bacup yesterday (January 3) with images quickly posted on local Facebook groups.
Concerns were raised that the van, which is not an emergency vehicle, was blocking a significant part of a lane and should not have been parked there. A statement from Lancashire Police conceded that the van should not have been parked there and that the vehicle was being controlled by a new technician who made an 'error'.
Police further explained that the vans are operated by the Safer Roads Unit (SRU) which is based at HQ and are not staffed by police officers, LancsLive reports. The statement added that the technician in question has been 'spoken to' and will be 'dealt with accordingly'.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: "I wanted to write this post to acknowledge the photos that have been shared on social media about the Safety Camera van that was parked on Market Street in Bacup yesterday. The vans are operated by the Safer Roads Unit (SRU) which is based at HQ and are not staffed by Police Officers.
"Neither the local policing team nor I are involved in the deployment of the vans which should all be situated in locations that are subject to a risk assessment and come with precise location information to make sure they are in the right place. As soon as I was made aware of the issue I made contact with SRU.
"Unfortunately, an error was made by a technician who is new to the role, and I can confirm that the van should not have been parked there. The technician has been spoken to and will be dealt with accordingly.
"The public of Lancashire have a right to expect that any employee of the Constabulary abides by all laws and conducts themselves to the highest possible standard. I feel it’s important to acknowledge when mistakes are made.
"British policing is built on a foundation of trust and consent from the public. Rossendale Police have excellent links with the community and work hard to prevent and fight crime and to keep our communities and people safe. At the end of the day there’s a human behind every uniform, officer or otherwise, and sometimes mistakes are made.
"When they are we need to be open and honest about it but also learn from them and ensure they don’t happen again. Thank you for your understanding. I’m sure there will be many replies to this in the comments section and I’ll do my best to reply to any questions raised in my personal time rather than during my usual shift."
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