Two police officers are being questioned after their patrol car was photographed parked across disabled spaces outside a McDonald’s.
The customer who took the picture claimed the officers dumped their car before heading in to pick up a takeaway.
Chris Burrows, from Lee-on-the-Solent, who took the picture outside a local McDonald’s, asked Hampshire police chiefs: ‘I fully expect a public apology as to why our tax money is being spent employing officers who do what they want because they drive a blue and yellow car.
‘No wonder the police get a bad name when your officers have such a blatant disregard for the law themselves.’
The local inspector was due to raise the issue with the officers on Tuesday when they are back on duty.
However, police chiefs insisted the officers were responding to reports of 10 youths threatening staff and damaging the building – and not picking up food.
A message on the Hampshire Constabulary Facebook page read: ‘We’d like to reassure you though that on this occasion the officer in question was responding to an emergency – and was not in a hurry for a McFlurry.’
The force had faced criticism after the photograph was uploaded on to the internet but on its Facebook page the comments were overwhelmingly supportive.
One post, by Kelly Sinclair, read: ‘I can’t believe people have nothing better to do than take pictures and say stupid, stupid things!! Would you object to the police parking in a disabled bay if they were stopping you from being mugged/beaten/murdered etc??’
