Incredible but true. This weekend we saw at least two Romanian policemen doing some real policing, enforcing the laws of land.
These shocking events took place outside the Bucuresti Mall, where, as anyone who has driven past will know, taxi drivers routinely make a habit of parking by the traffic lights right outside, forcing two-lane traffic on Calea Vitan to become one-lane traffic. This despite the fact that there is a taxi rank just 25 metres further along Calea Vitan.
On Saturday morning however, the police were having none of it.
By the looks of things (we were in a hurry so couldn’t stay to enjoy the whole show) they handed out tickets to every taxi driver parked illegally, which will mean a fine and points on their license. Shame they didn’t tow the taxis away.
The question now is whether this is the start of a concerted, coordinated clampdown on illegally parked cars – be they taxis or private vehicles – or was this more a case of a couple of coppers looking for some easy collars to feel on a Saturday morning?
Answers on a postcard to the usual address.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
on the 6th day of october 2011. The police came to my house they got me in there car and took me to the Police Station at Peris ilfov, in there they beated me with there fists and kanes, and they also forcet me to declare and write down some facts that were not true. also im am only 16 years old. This is no police this is shit. I dont know what to do if any of you can help me plz contact me cataliniryan@yahoo.com thankyou
Get a certificate from IML to show that you’ve been beaten and then complain to all places where you can complain: Ministry of Internal Affairs, Corpul de control al premierului Emil Boc, Administratia Prezidentiala, ONG-uri, ziare, DGIPI, Parchetul de pe langa judecatoria Ilfov, SRI.
In the end something has got to happen.
I think he might prefer a copy of your passport and your mother’s maiden name, or even a small bank transfer, to your well meaning advice
Oh so that’s what it was all about… you’re right because the police can’t just act like that, they need a warrant and when they have a warrant it means that somebody is aware of their actions at a higher level.
Then we should celebrate the first scam attempt on bucharestlife
)
the police had no warrant they just tooked me
Paraguay and Chile, my teams are both qualified
I think there is something going on, mostly because Emil Boc is desperate to raise enough money so the PDL can pay their sponsors for the re-election of Basescu.
For example today there were police agents, financial guard agents and jandarms descending on a flowers and fruits wholesale market somewhere in Sector 5. They were checking for tax evasion, as in merchandise without papers and from what I heard they confiscated a huge quantity of flowers as well as fruits.
I think we shall see police footage this evening…
I think Bucharest will gradually change in many aspects. Witness how suddenly people are using bikes. Bucharest is a funny place this way. In the West there have always been wealthy people as well as hipsters on bikes. Here, the people were so oppressed and psychologically traumatized by Ceausescu that for the first 20 years it was only about getting that BMW and acquiring wealth and status. Now, as a middle class grows and people can travel freely in the European Union, Romanians seem to be becoming more like European citizens as opposed to a people locked away at the edge of Europe. As Romanians begin acting more like normal people, the police will have to adapt too.