A newly-issued regulation that requires vehicle users and journalists to ask for permission before photographing or filming traffic police on duty is facing serious public objection.
New regulation stirs up public objection
This regulation was recently issued by Deputy Director of the Ministry of Public Security’s Road – Railway Traffic Police Department, Tran Son Ha.
Ha requested that the heads of traffic police departments in cities and provinces under the direct management of the central government direct their policemen, especially traffic inspection and patrolling forces, to state their determination to fight against those who threaten, or protest against traffic police on duty.
“A great effort must be made to identify those who take photos or film traffic inspections and patrolling forces without getting approval from the traffic police on duty--in other words those doing the inspecting. If they can prove that they're journalists, a report must be sent to their agencies. Those who pose as journalists must be seized and face punishment,” the regulation said.
Ha explained that the regulation was issued following recent cases where violators of traffic rules tried to take advantage of their relationships with the officers to ask the officers to let them off.
The regulation has stirred up great public opposition, including from several lawmakers.
Lawyer Truong Anh Tu from the Hanoi Bar Association told DTiNews that such a regulation is illegal.
“This is just simply a professional document that was designed only for traffic police. It’s not a legal document; therefore, it doesn’t mean compulsory enforcement on society as a whole. This means that journalists and citizens are not obliged to comply with such a regulation,” Anh Tu emphasised.
According to the lawyer, there are some ambiguous expressions in the regulation that should be clarified as soon as possible in order to prevent public misunderstanding.
“It’s necessary to clarify whether photographing and filming is banned by the law and in which situations it should be banned. If the case doesn’t affect national security, it’s illegal to stop people photographing and filming,” he noted.
He said that taking photos and filming traffic police on duty doesn’t affect their private lives. It’s ambiguous and irrational to require journalists to make a report to their agencies.
“Such a regulation doesn’t help to dismiss traffic police who lack of code of conduct when asking for and receiving bribes. The department and the ministry should cancel the regulation as soon as possible,” he added.
Many members of the public said that the regulation is irrational and it would hinder the discovery of rising corruption among traffic police.
Several other members of the public said it’s not necessary for traffic police to be worried about being photographed and filmed if they're honest at work.
Many other people said such a regulation could infringe on citizen’s rights plus it’s like an insult to journalists and to people as a whole.
Some say that photographing and filming the police in action are good ways to present positive images of the police force as well. It’s ridiculous to ban such activities.
