Run in with Police - bribes required!

[Deleted member 11815]

Pfff.
Honest old me
In Asia backpacking (info on blog) - and as you know, SE Asia seem to ignore traffic laws. All of them. One way, over loaded, lights, junctions, traffic lights, no helmets, 6 people and a pig on moped etc.
Unless of course you are western....

In Laos, and at a set of traffic lights and I was in the wrong lane (my fault) - so when the truck behind me wanted to turn right I had to move (lest be beeped) - and I crossed the stop line. Not entering junction, just crossed the line. Low and behold, Mr Plod pulls me over.

Pleading did nothing, Mr Plod (and his band of other Plods) just ended a speil with "money" - and no amount of protesting did anything. So he demanded 50,000 kip. I asked if I got a receipt, and of course I don't. So said "no receipt, 20,000kip only". And settled for that and off I went.

Thats £1.60!

Could've been worse!

 

[Northerner]

I can imagine one or two people on this forum, seeing the headline "Run in with police, bribes........................." would have rushed in to see the rest of the post in the hope that it was about British police. It must have been a terrible disappointment for the poor things! I suspect that they have never had experience of dealing with the law in the rest of the world!

Every organisation will have the odd bad apple but, on the whole, British police are well trained, polite, will not take bribes and can be trusted to put their lives on the line if necessary. And to repeat, yes, I know that there are some who fail, but the important thing is that their dishonesty is not tolerated and, if discovered, they receive the full force of the law.

 

[Deleted member 9237]

when my family had a night club in the west end 25 years ago once a month a brown envelop was handed to them on the last Friday of the month.

 

[maingate]

I was done for 'speeding' in Swaziland in the 1980's. The fine was about £30, strictly cash.

At the time of the offence, I was in 2nd gear, negotiating hairpin bends.

As the Police Officer was 6' 6" , built like a brick outhouse and armed, I paid up.

I would think that every other car with South African plates was also stopped. :sad:

 

[GeoNomad]

In Albania I was stopped for speeding. Doing about 45mph on a dual carriage motorway.

They claimed my C15 Romahome was a truck and therefore I was speeding - I hadn't even noticed the speed limit for trucks was 60 kph (about 37mph). Cars were whizzing by at the usual motorway speeds. It took lots of hand waving and pointing for them to communicate to me why they stopped me, as I was incredulous and rather lacking any Albanian. It was about £5.

In Montenegro it was normal to be stopped on Fridays - regardless of what speed you were going. I guess they need beer money for the weekend. I learned that if you demand a receipt they don't bother. One cop kept trying to tell me that if he gave me a paper fine it would be much harder as I would have to go to the Post Office and pay it. It would be so much easier to give him the cash with no paperwork. I continued to insist until he just gave up in disgust.

My camper is insured by a company in Andorra. The insurance includes the payment of up to 3 speeding tickets a year. I have never tried to make that claim. I assume they will then raise your rates for being an unsafe driver, although the office claims it is not so.

Peter

 

[n brown]

stopped in portugal in a ropey old nissan and though insured my cover note was a day out.the copper said 600 euros! i got my grandson,about4,out the car and handed my keys to the cop"there you go mate,its your car now" and set off down the road "hey calm down" he goes "why so upset?how about 30 euros?"so i bought my banger back and drove home.
going through a stop sign in morocco i had to bribe the cop but didn't know the exchange rate.dilemma,offered 50 dirham ,accepted! £3.50,bargain