Brisbane police officers spotted parking illegally for alleged Subway food dash

Brisbane police officers have come under fire from a former one of their own after being busted parking on a yellow line – allegedly to pick up some Subway – on multiple occasions.

Ex-senior police prosecutor turned Bond University constitutional law lecturer Jay Merchant captured images of marked police vehicles parked on yellow lines outside the Subway store at Bowen Hills in Brisbane.

Cops have come under fire from a former one of their own after being busted parking on a yellow line – allegedly to pick up some Subway.

Twice in recent weeks, ex-senior police prosecutor turned Bond University constitutional law lecturer Jay Merchant captured images of marked police vehicles parked on yellow lines outside the Subway store at Bowen Hills in Brisbane.

Mr Merchant, who served for eight years in the Queensland Police Service before resigning last year, posted the photos to Twitter to call out what he described as double standards.

He also tagged Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll and QPS Media in the posts in which he questioned whether police road rule exemptions covered picking up fast food.

I have a client going to hearing on the 27th for a like offence ... This is double standards the rule of law matters @CoPCarroll@QPSmedia this is twice now for subway stops. My client is losing demerit points as well. Happy to write the Minister and ESC #bowenhillspic.twitter.com/4rRqADfWDx

— Jay Merchant 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 (@MerchantJW) February 12, 2023

“I mean, I totally understand that Subway cookies are delicious but I am not confident that the … exemptions in the TORUM (Transport Operations Road Use Management Act) apply to parking on a yellow line for Subway,” he wrote in one post.

“Anyone else and the max 20 penalty units ($2875) would apply.”

Mr Merchant told the Sunday Mail that police were prosecuting ordinary citizens for parking on yellow lines “and here we have the police parking wherever they want”.

“There’s legislation that exempts police from the road rules when they’re doing their actual job,” he said.

“For example, if they’re going to a Code 2 job (emergency), they can go through a red light and the community understands that. But I don’t think stopping off to grab some delicious Subway quite qualifies as being in the line of duty.

“What applies to one section of the community should also apply to others.”

I have a client going to hearing on the 27th for a like offence ... This is double standards the rule of law matters @CoPCarroll@QPSmedia this is twice now for subway stops. My client is losing demerit points as well. Happy to write the Minister and ESC #bowenhillspic.twitter.com/4rRqADfWDx

— Jay Merchant 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 (@MerchantJW) February 12, 2023

Mr Merchant said he never saw colleagues doing anything similar when he was a police officer.

“Police are always under scrutiny and it’s something I always kept in mind when I was on the beat,” he said.

In a statement, a police spokeswoman said: “The Queensland Police Service is aware of the matter and it is currently under assessment.”