Anti-bribery agents to spy on Mexico City traffic police

Jul 19, 2007, 19:47 GMT

Mexico City - A special anti-bribery unit will be tailing traffic police in Mexico City starting Friday to make sure they do not blackmail drivers as new traffic rules come into place.

For 100 days, inspectors hope to verify that traffic cops behave in an honourable way when they pull over drivers and do not seek or accept bribes. A telephone hotline known as Honestel was also set up to take complaints from citizens.

Bribes could prove more enticing as the new traffic rules will include a system of adding points to licences of drivers who violate rules, beyond the traditional payment of fines.

But police officers will also be encouraged to report drivers who offer them money, and incentives are planned for the good cops - those who report bribe attempts will receive boxes with food and will be eligible for promotions.

'The aim is to promote a culture of respect, of respect for the rules,' Mexico City controller Beatriz Castelan said Thursday.

Public Safety Secretary Joel Ortega said there are 48 to 54 traffic accidents in Mexico City every day and 4,000 fines are imposed. A person - usually young - dies in every 66th crash.

Under the new points system, similar to that in many other countries, 12 points will lead to a licence being revoked, and the driver will only be able to request another one after three years. Exceeding speed limits or not wearing a seatbelt costs six points, carrying children under 12 in the front seat costs three, and talking on a cellphone or wearing headphones costs one.

The authorities acknowledge that their main challenge is to avoid the creation of a 'bribery industry' among the city's 2,850 traffic cops.