Azerbaijan, Baku, October 15 / Trend K. Zarbaliyeva /
About 35 employees of road police were sentenced to disciplinary responsibility in Azerbaijan for nine months, head of Public Relations Department of the Main State Traffic Police Department of the Interior Ministry, Arastun Majidov, told Trend .
According to Majidov, these employees were prosecuted for violations committed against civilians during the service. Three employees were transferred to other jobs, and three - dismissed.
He said that a commission to consider citizens' appeals was established in the Main State Traffic Police Department according to the law "Consideration of citizens' appeals".
Citizens' appeals are considered in the department as a result of each quarter as required by the law. Afterwards, reports are given to leadership of the Interior Ministry, Majidov said.
According to the official representative of the department, thee were more than 3,000 appeals for the first 9 months.
"Appeals for assistance are among these requests. About 43-44 percent are complaints", head of the department said.
Majidov said that citizens sometimes complain about police officers to the Cabinet of Ministers, the Interior Ministry or the President's Administration.
"According to the law, citizens must apply to the leadership of the body in which an employee works. If this appeal is not considered properly or a citizen is not satisfied with its result, in this case he/she can appeal to a higher instance," head of the department said.
According to the official representative of the Office, about 30-35 percent of complaints are related to extortion of money from drivers.
"Citizens complain of extortion by traffic police officers. They said that a police officer makes a protocol if he did not get money. During the proceedings it is revealed the a person has violated the rules, for which the police demand for paying a fine. A citizen does not pay a fine due to lack of money. A traffic police officer fills in the protocol and takes away a citizen's driver's license. An offender complains of legitimate action of traffic police to a higher instation", Majidov said.
Other complaints are related to the radars. For example, a driver caught by the radar demands for appropriate photograph. "However, in some cases, this photograph can not be given to a driver at his first request. If a photograph is not given as the first request, a driver complains," representative of the department said.
Sometimes owners of cars complain about the rudeness of traffic police, breach of traffic regulations, use of mobile phones while driving, violation of the rules while overtaking, turning, and disuse of flashers and sound signals.
Majidov said that traffic police's violations of traffic rules in patrol and non-patrol cars are under serious control of the head department. Such violations are very rare, and, if they are registered, investigation and appropriate actions are held.
Head of department said that if the traffic police violates the traffic rules in a patrol car, they must notify other drivers and put on red and blue flashers.
Majidov also called actions of the traffic police, talking on a mobile phone while driving, as legitimate. "There are radio stations in patrol cars, through which a police officer can receive and send information. While driving a car, he speaks through the radio. Sometimes a police officer can use a mobile phone not to overload the air. If it is permitted to speak through the radio, a police office can speak over phone too. One should not observe it as offense, it complies with the law ", Majidov said.
He said that it is not ruled out that the traffic police apply to citizens in a rude manner. "However, most of employees use the megaphone upon the rules," head of the department said.
Physically healthy people not below 1,75 meters height, specially trained for exploitation of cars, traffic, etc set to work in traffic police.
Police employees meeting these requirements are trained at six-month-courses, and recruited as police officers on the roads after passing exams on traffic rules in the relevant order of the competition.
Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at: [email protected]