site.bta120 Police Cars to Be Equipped with Cameras within Two Months

109 HOME AFFAIRS - POLICE CARS - CAMERAS

120 Police Cars to Be
Equipped with Cameras
within Two Months


Sofia, January 11 (BTA) - Within two months 120 police cars will
be equipped with cameras which will record all checks for
traffic violations, Interior Minister Vesselin Vouchkov said at
a news conference on Sunday. Fifteen of these vehicles will be
in Sofia.

Road traffic police's checks should be carried out only when
there is a camera recording the checks, so that corruption can
be prevented, Vouchkov explained. The patrol cars will be
equipped with three cameras and two wireless microphones. The
recording will be kept for 30 days after the check and will be
available only to specially authorized officers of the Interior
Minister, so that their manipulation by the patrol teams can be
prevented. A system will be introduced which will allow the
controlling body to keep track of the teams in real time through
video surveillance. The police cars will also be equipped with
a panic button through which the patrol team will be able to
inform their colleagues of a dangerous situation. At present,
there are 20 cars with such equipment operating in the country.

A total of 658 people died and 8,631 were injured in a traffic
accident in 2014, the Interior Ministry reported. The serious
traffic accidents totalled 7,100. The main reason for the
accidents was inappropriate speed, therefore 50 per cent of the
road traffic police's efforts should be focused on speed
control, the Interior Ministry said.

LI/DS