An Edinburgh police officer has been fined after making a no left turn onto a busy road while pedestrians were crossing.
The incident took place at the top of Leith Walk in December last year when the unmarked car made a left turn onto London Road while when a green man was showing.
It was the same month as officers were deployed to patrol the turning and catch motorists in the act after locals recorded drivers flouting the rules.
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Chris, a University of Edinburgh law student, took to Twitter on December 8 after a black car turned left from the top of Leith Walk onto London Road, ignoring several signs. Chris reported the driver to the police via 101, unaware that the offender was an officer.
After several months, Chris received a surprising letter from the Procurator Fiscal's Criminal Allegations Against Police Division (CAAPD) informing him that it was actually a serving officer who had been issued the fixed penalty noticed and had paid the fine.
An extract of the letter read: "Crown Counsel instructed that this matter proceed by way of a fixed penalty. The officer was offered a fixed penalty and has now paid this."
Speaking to Edinburgh Live about the incident, Chris said: "The Leith Walk / London Road crossing was on my commute from university, where I study law, to my home in Leith. The no left turn is well signed but I have seen many drivers turning anyway, almost hitting pedestrians.
"I took to filming myself cross on my way home so I would have evidence in case of an incident. On this occasion in December, a driver made an unlawful turn while myself and other pedestrians were crossing on a green man. I reported them to 101.
"I received a letter in March from the Procurator Fiscal’s Criminal Allegations Against Police Division (CAAPD). I was disappointed to learn the driver is a police officer. The no left turn is very well signed and there was a green man at the time so his reasoning is hard to fathom.
"People should feel safe and comfortable walking in Scotland’s capital, not afraid of being killed by drivers, especially when that driver has been tasked with upholding the law."
At the time of the incident, Chris managed to capture footage of the driver seemingly smiling and the person in the passenger seat holding their thumb up.
Chris continued: "Looking again at footage of the driver and passenger’s reactions to being caught on camera, it makes me feel uneasy that one of them is a police officer.
"However, I am grateful to the CAAPD for taking action and I’m glad the officer has paid the fixed penalty notice. I hope he learns from this experience. This incident highlights the need for Edinburgh Council and Police Scotland to prioritise pedestrian safety and accessibility. More measures should be put in place to ensure that drivers follow traffic regulations."
Details of the punishment handed out to the officer are not known but fixed penalty notices are commonly issued where there is photographic evidence of an offence.
They are used for speeding offences, failing to comply with 'yellow box' junctions or failing to comply with traffic signals. Normally, a fixed penalty notice is an offer of three penalty points and a £100 fine.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal said it can not comment on closed cases. Police Scotland were approached for comment.
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