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A policeman was fined for driving down a road in Matsue City on Saturday during a time period in which vehicles were prohibited from using the street, police said Sunday.
The officer turned left into the street at about 7.35 a.m. and a male pedestrian called out to the officer to stop, and told him that vehicles were not permitted to use the street between 7 and 8.30 a.m. The officer called his police station and informed them of the breach of the Road Traffic Law, and officers from the Traffic Section came down to the scene and issued him with a fine.
There was a sign at the intersection indicating the time regulation for vehicles, but both the officer driving and the officer in the passenger seat failed to notice it.
Another officer was fined for the exact same infringement in June last year. A senior officer at Matsue police station said: “If you pay attention to the signs on the road, it’s pretty clear. We’ll strive to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
© Wire reports
8 Comments
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jonobugs
This is priceless....calling his own infraction. But to send officers down to issue him a fine sounds like a waste of time and money. Seriously, if he is going through all the trouble to turn himself in, why couldn't he just write his own ticket?
martyman
Well. the good side of this story was integrety of the J-cop to call the police on himself. The bad side is the stupidity of the officer not knowing his own traffic regulations. (and his partner also).
If you beleive "There was a sign at the intersection indicating the time regulation for vehicles, but both the officer driving and the officer in the passenger seat failed to notice it." then it is time to apply for a J-cop job. Anyone can qualify for the position, even 40 year old dependents.
nath
Maybe they were too busy eating donuts and drinking coffee to notice the sign.
sunny117
Seriously, if he is going through all the trouble to turn himself in, why couldn't he just write his own ticket?
Or just go (ride) back to his station and ask his senior to fine him. Then the senior could pronounce upon him the fine while sitting in the station itself.
mnemosyne23
Methinks it's time to get a bigger sign on that street.
But seriously, these officers weren't familiar with the time restrictions on the street? Wow. Honestly, I don't know if I should applaud the Jcop for calling in his own fine or laugh at the whole situation. I think I'll choose to applaud while chuckling; then all my bases are covered.
Also, that pedestrian must have nerves of steel to flag the Jcops down and inform them they were breaking the law. Either he was very drunk or very brave. I don't think I'd ever have the guts to do that!
hellhound
Why is this in the news? A policeman can do whatever he wants in the streets
martyman
Or maybe he wanted to make a good impression with the officer in the passenger seat? Was it a male or female J-cop as the passenger? Hmm the mystery continues...
Investigator
Just more proof of the insanity of the guys in charge of the road rules and sign placement in Japan. You never know where a sign might be hidden, when you find it you may not be able to read the fine print if you have half a mind to look out for bicycles, pedestrians, other cars, cats, dogs, children chasing balls and telephone poles actually in the street. And if you do, I hope you remembered to properly adjust the clock on the dash, if you know how, because you have to know what time it is.
I can't blame the police for making a wrong turn. I have made several. But my priority number one is to not run people over, and the fine print on hidden signs will not deter me from that.