A Scottish policewoman who believed she was being chased by a drone was left red-faced when she fled back to her station, where senior officers told her the pursuing object was in fact the planet Jupiter.
The Glasgow-based officer, who has not been named but has reportedly served with Police Scotland for two years, called law enforcement on the public 101 number while on duty to complain that an object in the sky was “following her” along the M8 motorway, and that, despite her best efforts, she “couldn’t lose it”.
The call handler advised the policewoman to return to her station, according to the Daily Record, where the following scene unfolded:
She was found standing in the police yard with her hood up trying to hide from the “drone” and pointed out the bright white dot in the sky. They told her it was Jupiter, which is often visible on a clear night.
“The story is the talk of the steamie at her station. Nobody can quite believe it. She was very alarmed and spooked that she was being followed by a drone,” said a police source quoted by the newspaper.
“Everyone was quite concerned so you can imagine the red face and embarrassment felt when it was pointed out that the bright light following her was a planet millions of miles away,” they added.
“This is going to haunt her for years.”
Police Scotland appeared to confirm the incident in an official statement, with a spokesman explaining that “Officers quickly established there was no criminality and were able to reassure the woman involved.”