CCTV cameras caught a police vehicle parked in a disabled space at a shopping centre in Nudgee Beach, Brisbane. Witnesses claim that the police car was circling the parking lot looking for a space before pulling into the disabled parking bay.
A spokesperson for the Queensland Police Service said it is only appropriate for a police car to park in such a spot if the officer was performing a specific duty or exercising a specific power in the exercise of their duties.
We checked the Queensland and NSW Road Rules and there is an interesting difference between them.
In the NSW legislation, Rule 307 (Stopping and parking exemption for police and emergency vehicles and authorised persons) states that:
(1) A provision of Part 12 (Restrictions on Stopping and Parking) does not apply to the driver of a police vehicle or emergency vehicle if, in the circumstances:
(a) the driver is taking reasonable care, and
(b) it is reasonable that the provision should not apply
(2) A provision of Part 12 does not apply to a driver who is an authorised person driving a vehicle in the course of his or her duty as an authorised person if, in the circumstances:
(a) the driver is taking reasonable care, and
(b) it is reasonable that the provision should not apply.
Whilst clause (1) is identical in the QLD legislation, clause (2) does not exist.