Globalidentity

My daughter fell off a scooter in Croatia today and a policeman asked her for a £175 fine. She asked why and he said because she had caused an accident - but no-one else was involved and she wasn't speeding. The policeman than asked what I did for a living (her father, I was not there) and he raised the fine to £200.

Is this legal?

Michael

Did he ask for the fine in pounds or in the local currency? If the former, it sounds like a shakedown--it might also be one if the latter.

sparkchaser

This would be a great excuse for not explaining how you spent a lot of money doing something you shouldn't have.

Michael

I assume that the daughter is honest given that I had to pay US $10 in cash to the traffic cop in Prague for a "traffic violation." Better than going to the precinct back in 1975. Besides, it sounds so ridiculous that surely she could have given a more plausible reason for the payment, like going through a red light.

adrienne

Why is a policeman in Croatia asking for GBP?

Did she pay the fine? If so, did she get a ticket for the fine stating the offense and price? If she was given a ticket then I would believe it's legal. If no ticket then it's probably a scam.

I was stopped at a random road check in the Czech Republic and the police couldn't find that I did anything wrong so they fined me for not having my passport with me (I had a copy). The cop wanted me to pay the fine without writing a ticket but I indicated that he should write the ticket and I would pay the fine. I had the money in my hand.

sandralist

No it is not legal and once your daughter is out of Croatia she should contact the Croatian consulate/embassy and identify the rogue cop as best she can, and describe the location, the time of day.

I think she was right to hand over the money, however infuriating to be dunned, but the implicit threat in any situation like that is that the cop can take you into custody. She was wise to get away, but she would be doing everyone a terrific favor if she alerted Croatian authorities to the specifics so perhaps he can be removed from the force. But I would advise her to document it now but wait until she is out of the country to pursue it.

sandralist

http://www.business-anti-corruption....ls/police.aspx

sandralist

http://www.anticorruption-croatia.org/home/contact

nukesafe

Wow, great links, Sandra! Thanks.

Much of my exposure to corruption has been in Mexico and the Mid East. One thing that I have found that is useful in many instances is to politely agree to the demand, then equally politely demand a receipt. Works wonders with port officials, customs agents, and other Government types. Against cops with weapons, not so much. The officials will often hesitate and then say there was a mistake and back off. The cops just keep their hand out, IME.

sandralist

I think the ground rules change for women who are alone and I am not sure what the best advice is. A woman alone needs to avoid giving a cop an excuse to being taken into custody or forced off the street into a car etc.. At the same time she probably needs to avoid appearing too passive or compliant. Handing over money seems sensible to me (and apparently seems sensible to most Croatians however bitter they are about it). In situations like that it can be helpful to do things that will attract the attention of nearby people like talk really really loudly or "accidentally" drop a lot of stuff (the messier the better) or knock something over in the process of complying. Behave in a way that would make anybody think you are an unpredictable headache even if you give the money. Walk away as fast as possible to where other people are around and engage them in conversation.

There are some countries where traffic police and train conductors have the authority to issue spot fines and collect money. But certainly at the point any cop inquires about how much money you have access to and then raises fines on you then you are dealing with a corrupt cop. And corrupt cops often work in corrupt police stations so you don't want to go there.

Maybe the best answer to a question like "What does your father do for a living?" is to say "He is the head of the anti-corruption unit at the UN office in Vienna."

rialtogrl

Where in Croatia did this happen?