Tayside Police have apologised after they tried to blame Fife Constabulary for a car parked in a disabled bay in Dundee.
The marked Volvo estate was photographed in the city centre space for more than an hour, but the force refused to own up and initially claimed it must belong to their colleagues in Fife.
However, Fife police “categorically” denied that, and on Tuesday the Tayside force owned up.
A spokeswoman said: “It has been established this was a Tayside vehicle and we apologise for any confusion.”
The squad car was pictured in Whitehall Street last Tuesday afternoon by a local businessman, who asked not to be named.
He said: “I was outraged, which was made even worse because I had to watch a disabled person sit in their car, unable to get out because the space they were in was too small to lower the ramp.”
When a traffic warden was unable to deal with the matter the businessman made a complaint to the police.
He said an officer from Tayside Police called him the next day to say it was their car.
He said: “I was told by an inspector that he had identified the driver and the car through their log books and the partial index number that I had given them.
“He also admitted that the car should not have been parked there and that there was no emergency that the police were responding to.”
Dundee double amputee Ronnie McIntosh said it “beggars belief” police would park in a disabled space.
Mr McIntosh said he has had a few confrontations in supermarket disabled bays, despite his right to park there.
He said: “People have actually challenged me because it’s not obvious I’m a double amputee. I try not to always park in these bays because there are people who need them more than me.
“To see a police car there kind of beggars belief. Even if they had parked on double yellow lines you would be more understanding of it.”