The traffic police compiles a list of untouchables
© “Your Day”, 10/12/2009, traffic police creates a list of untouchables
Scandalous list of VIP cars that traffic cops were forbidden to stop
Anastasia Svetlova
The Moscow traffic police makes their hard life easier for officials of the capital’s mayor’s office and police chiefs: no matter what happens, it is now forbidden to stop their cars.
The bosses convince traffic inspectors that VIP cars do not run red lights, do not drive in oncoming traffic and do not exceed the speed limit.
“Your Day” learned that traffic police officers are now being given lists of the leadership of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the mayor’s office, indicating their official and personal cars. Along with information for official use, police officers are given strict verbal instructions not to stop cars included in the “anti-stop list”. Traffic cops are required to learn the brands and license plates of VIP cars as soon as possible. Now such cars will be able to fly along Moscow streets, and inspectors are ordered to turn a blind eye to violations of the rules.
“Thieves’ license plates have enjoyed advantage on the road before. If before this, traffic cops were required to remember special series of license plates like A…MR or E…KX (“I drive as I want”), now they must know by sight the cars that not only officials drive, but also members of their families: by the make and number of the car, determine who is in the cabin, and under no circumstances slow them down.
Scandal
The leaders of the capital’s traffic police were prompted to adopt such a strange instruction by a scandal caused by a high-ranking official of the Moscow mayor’s office. Traffic police inspectors stopped a Volvo whose driver was driving along the median. But they didn’t have time to draw up a protocol: Vladimir Shukshin, deputy chief of staff of the mayor of the capital, was driving the foreign car.
The official attacked the traffic inspectors, accusing them of “not seeing who they are stopping.” But the matter did not end with words. The inspector who stopped the official’s personal car was removed from his post and sent on duty.
Safety net
After such a “puncture,” the heads of the territorial departments of the traffic police decided not to take risks and distributed among employees a list of cars of city hall officials and heads of law enforcement agencies. The police were required to learn by heart who was driving what car, and under no circumstances should they slow them down on the road.
Nomenclature
“After the “flag” numbers disappeared, the so-called nomenklatura series appeared,” Gennady Gudkov, a member of the State Duma Commission on Anti-Corruption, told Your Day. — A lot of bosses drive with numbers of such series as A…MR, A…MO.
Unfortunately, there is a verbal instruction not to notice them on the road. This is such an unspoken table of ranks in our country. But to distribute lists of specific people and their cars – I have never heard of this before.
“This is absolutely illegal,” said Viktor Pokhmelkin, Chairman of the Russian Motorists Movement. “We do not and cannot have untouchables.” Everyone must be held accountable for violating traffic rules, even those who have immunity, and even more so the drivers of officials. We need to sound the alarm!
