Traffic police told to play fair

Traffic police issued a new directive this week requesting that officers on duty remain visible at all times and refrain from forcing motorists into speed traps.

Police officers have been known to hide behind trees, buildings, and hills on highways in order to catch speeders who are unaware of their presence.

In many cases, drivers and bikers alike took to social media to complain about the practice, describing it as “unfair” especially in areas where speed limits change quickly without giving reasonable time to motorists to slow down.

But a new traffic supervisor, Yiannis Georgiou, recently asked during a meeting that all local supervisors inform their officers that they must be visible at all times and not hide behind trees or other objects.

Georgiou explained that the logic behind the new measure is to make sure that motorists can be aware at any time of the possibility they could be subjected to a police stop.

Officers are also now asked to focus on areas with high speeds and problem spots, while at the same time refrain from aiming their speed radars in areas where speed zones change.

In order for a speed ticket to be fair and held up in court, officers are being advised that they need to be at least 500 metres away from a speed change sign.

Officers are also being asked to take down licence plates of vehicles that fail to stop for a check instead of chasing them around in what could be dangerous conditions.

Traffic police officers, in return, have asked for new helmets that would allow them to communicate seamlessly with other colleagues on the job. They have also asked for an upgrade to their hand-held electronic ticket issuance devices due to technical problems with the old stock.