Alarming increase in impersonation of traffic police
(Baonghean.vn) "...For disguised traffic police, according to Circular 27 of the Ministry of Public Security, it is clearly stated that: Plainclothes police officers do not have the authority to impose fines but must coordinate with uniformed patrol police. The disguised force has the duty to notify uniformed police to carry out inspection and handling orders... when detecting violators".
Impersonation to extort fines
According to statistics from Vinh City Police, from the beginning of 2011 until now, in addition to the cases reported by people after the subject impersonated a traffic police officer and successfully committed the act, there have been 4 cases caught red-handed by the authorities. Typically, at around 6:30 p.m. (January 30, 2011), while driving a motorbike on Le Viet Thuat Street(Vinh City), 2 women were ordered to stop their vehicles and have their papers checked by a young man dressed as a traffic police officer. While the subject was asking for money, the disguised traffic police force of Vinh City Police came and caught them red-handed. After being transferred to the headquarters for processing, the subject revealed his true identity as a scammer. The subject's name is Nguyen Van Tuan (born in 1982, residing in Ich Hau commune, Can Loc, Ha Tinh). It is worth noting that this is not the first time the subject has impersonated a traffic police officer. Previously, from around the end of 2010 until his arrest, he had successfully carried out 10 cases, appropriating money from vehicle drivers for millions of dong (the lowest "fine" was 100,000 dong, the highest was 850,000 dong).
While traffic police set up public checkpoints and usually have 3 or more people, impersonators often act alone in deserted locations.
Or at 10:30 on March 14, 2011, on Phong Dinh Cang Street (Vinh City), the disguised force of the Vinh City Traffic Police caught red-handed two subjects: Nguyen Dinh Truong Son (born in 1989, residing in Block 4, Truong Thi Ward) and Dinh Van Thong (born in 1988, residing in Block 3, Hong Son Ward) impersonating traffic police to check vehicles for violations, with the purpose of appropriating money from the drivers. At the investigation agency, the two subjects also confessed that they had previously appropriated 200,000 VND from a resident near the provincial Radio and Television Station. Son also confessed that he had previously checked the vehicle of a young man who violated the speed limit near the Phuong Dong Hotel on March 10, 2011. The young man was afraid and left his vehicle behind, so Son took the motorbike.
Most recently, at 2:00 p.m. on November 3, Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong (residing in Yen Thanh district) went to Cua Nam lake area (Vinh city) and was arrested by Tran Quoc Khanh (born in 1964, residing in Trung Do ward, Vinh city) who claimed to be the deputy captain of the Vinh City Police Traffic Police Team and asked Mr. Cuong to present his documents for inspection. Because Mr. Cuong did not have any documents, Khanh asked for 400,000 VND. While Khanh was receiving the money, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Tho - Deputy Captain of the Vinh City Police Traffic Police Team promptly appeared and arrested him.
Need to raise vigilance
In addition to the above cases, there are certainly many other successful scams that passersby do not discover, or when they do, the scammers have already "run away". The scammers have hit the psychology of traffic participants that when violating the Traffic Law, they often pay money to finish the matter, so as not to have to "go around" through the stages of making a record, then paying a fine to get back their documents or vehicle.
Furthermore, although the law has increased the fines for violations, many people still do not comply with the law when participating in traffic. If caught and prosecuted, they will have to pay a fine of VND 100,000 or more. Fraudsters have taken advantage of the "cheap" mentality, only asking for half or much less than the total amount of the violations combined, and if they successfully carry out many cases, the amount of money they can steal will not be small.
Talking to us about this issue, Lieutenant Colonel Duong Van Hoa - Head of the General Investigation Team, Vinh City Police, said: The situation of impersonating traffic police to commit fraud is quite new but has caused serious consequences. Not only are people being cheated out of money, but the image of the traffic police force is also tarnished, even losing the trust of the people. According to Clause 1, Article 139 of the Penal Code, the penalty for this act of fraud to appropriate property is non-custodial reform for up to 3 years, or imprisonment from 6 months to 3 years.
However, with the current increasing number of impersonating traffic police, not only does it require the authorities to take strong measures, but people also need to be vigilant when asked by traffic police to stop their vehicles for document checks. It is necessary to observe the identification of names, ranks, and numbers of those in uniform, and request to check the industry card of those in plain clothes, especially for those who show unusual behavior such as asking for fines, keeping documents or vehicles...
Because according to regulations, when performing the task of patrolling to ensure traffic safety (in uniform or plain clothes), the traffic police force is organized into working groups of 3 or more people. The location of the checkpoints and handling of violations is also carried out according to the plan (with specialized cars, motorbikes, and documents for handling) in public locations. On the contrary, the subjects impersonating traffic police can also have the same uniform as traffic police (due to theft) but often go alone or 2 people on a motorbike, chasing pedestrians and forcing them to check their documents. The subjects often choose deserted places to "punish" and do not have receipts or financial invoices to punish.
Regarding disguised traffic police, according to Circular 27 of the Ministry of Public Security, it is clearly stated that: Plainclothes police officers do not have the authority to impose fines but must coordinate with uniformed patrol police. The disguised force has the duty to notify uniformed police to carry out inspection and handling orders... when detecting violators.
That is the basis for people to know how to prevent themselves if they encounter cases of people claiming to be police officers. And above all, people need to raise their awareness of obeying the Traffic Law, only then will scammers have no reason to stop the vehicle and demand "punishment".
Quang An
