Police say cop car did not cause town chaos
IPSWICH: Police today dismissed claims that one of its officers was responsible for causing traffic mayhem after partially blocking a road with his vehicle as he dealt with a disorderly drunk.
Shoppers watched on as queues of traffic filled Princes Street in Ipswich town centre at around 1pm yesterday as motorists struggled to maneouvre past the Suffolk police car.
A shopper, who asked not to be named, told The Evening Star that the blockage had caused “sheer chaos”.
“It was gridlock in the middle of the town,” she said.
“It was backed up along Princes Street, with a number of cars waiting behind the bus. It was sheer chaos.
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“No-one was able to get through and it seemed like there were a lot of annoyed motorists.”
However, a spokesman for Suffolk Police said there was room for the bus and following vehicles to have driven around the police car.
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“The officer was in the town centre dealing with a drunk member of the public who had been causing a disturbance,” he said.
“The person was served with a section 27 notice – banning them from the town centre for 24 hours.
The officer was doing his job. There was room for the bus and vehicles following to get past if they had of tried.”
No one from Ipswich Buses was available to comment. Last year, a similar situation left motorists filled with rage after a courier locked himself out of his own van.
The driver pulled up in Upper Brook Street, Ipswich, on November 19, with the intention of dropping off a delivery.
However, chaos ensued when he was unable to get back into the vehicle after locking his keys inside.
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