All Sections

Woman fined £570 after taking picture of an ilegally parked cop car

Taking a picture of a cop car should be allowed, especially if it is breaking the law, but in Spain it might prove to be one of the most expensive photos you will ever take.

An unnamed Spanish lady photographed a police car because itwas ilegally parked in a disabled bay. Venting her anger, the lady posted the photo on Facebook with the following caption: “Park where you bloody well please and you won’t even be fined.” 

Unfortunately for her, Spain recently introduced a controversial new law known as the Public Safety Act that prohibits ‘the unauthorised use of images of police officers that might jeapordise their or their family’s safety or that of the protected facilities or police operations’.

Reports say the woman was tracked down in 48 hours and handed a sizable fine of €800 (£570) for her efforts.

Amid public uproar and reports from news outlets worldwide, officers said the woman had attacked their honour and that they had simply being carrying out their job.

Reports claim the officers were parked in the disabled bay so they could deal with nearby vandalism in the town of Petrer, Alicante – a crime that requires officers to catch a criminal red-handed. 

Legal experts say the fine could have been appealed because the photograph only shows the vehicle and not the two police officers.

Spaniards have nicknamed the Public Safety Act the ‘gag’ law, and with good reason if it means a photo of police wrongdoing (whether authorised or not) can result in a fine. AThe photo would have never been taken if the boys in blue were parked legally.

Policing gone mad or were the Spanish authorities fair in handing out a fine? We’ll let you decide.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *