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Traffic police’s traffic law enforcement is under fire from common citizens because authorities did not notify people about the enforcement of law.
On April 30, 2008, the Phnom Penh municipality had ordered all road traffic warders stop fining motorists without rear mirror or failing to wear safety helmets.
Before enforcing the new traffic law, the traffic police officers, including authorities at local communes, should provide enough education and awareness of traffic law to Cambodians, especially low or uneducated people in remote rural areas.
At the mean time, the senior traffic police said to the local newspapers that municipality still continues to fine all motorists who violate traffic law in order to improve the social order, not need to going back. Generally, the common and powerless people have been punished by the law, but the wealthy and powerful always site on the law.
Even though, in general Cambodian people feel concerns that the corruption will inevitably happen because police always pocket money from violators without giving formal tickets. In the past, the informal fines have long been a reality in Phnom Penh.
I always see the traffic police taking money from drivers of trucks transporting goods and taxi without giving formal receipts, while running through police stations. Sometimes, traffic jam took place while police stopped trucks blocking passengers’ cars and motorists.
Tin Prasoer, chief of Phnom Penh’s traffic police, said authorities are required by law to give receipts when they fine motorists, adding that police who charge extra would be punished. “The official fine for a mirror infraction is 4,000 riels, and this money is supposed to go to the Ministry of Economy and Finance,” he said. The Phnom Penh Post reported.
While this situation continue to happen there will be a group taking advantage of and the other big group will just lost their money without any clear information.