Independent journalist checks police response for regular citizens


I had to call the police due to some car alarm howling outside for three days. The problem was solved in…five hours

Belarusian police can be made to work faster only by the KGB. I became convinced in this in late 2014 – early 2015, when I felt the pressure of law enforcement for working at Belsat. The number of violations made by the police then was simply astonishing, but the main thing was true – they were active, though not always guided by the law. Now I wanted to see how the police reacted when asked for help by ordinary citizen.

I dialed 102, but could get through only on the third time. During this time, in an emergency, a person could be killed. Police worker processes the call and says that the police will arrive shortly. But an hour later there is no police. Perhaps ordinary person would stop there, but I keep trying to get law enforcement to respond. I dial the police once again and try to more actively find out why no one came to me. In response I hear that the police is a serious organization and I should not have a commanding voice while talking to them. Half an hour later comes a road police officer… and says he cannot solve the problem, then leaves.

The car alarm is still ringing. This time my wife calls the police, the call gets processed but again but no one comes. I call on the 24h hotline of the Ministry of Interior, but there is no answer. Then I dial the personal number of the policeman and he promises to help. However, he can do it only in the morning.

“Surely, you’ll last another night, got through the last three of them. And in the morning we’ll solve everything,” said the district policeman before saying goodbye.

But half an hour later came a patrol car. To my suggestion to file the report on the car owner for making noise at night, they say they cannot do anything.

“If people were noisy, of course, we would have held them administratively responsible, but what do we do with the car?” said one of them.

However, the problem was still resolved, the car was gone after five calls to the police station for five hours, and the night was calm.

What to do if the police would not come to help you? We put the question to the lawyer Alyaksandr Zhuk:

“You should call again, and then file a complaint to the police chief.”

As to the car alarms at night, the Belarusian Code of Administrative Offences has no corresponding article, using which it would be possible to prosecute the owner of such a vehicle.

In Moscow, for example, there is a special law 42 from July 12, 2002 “On keeping calm and quiet at night in the city.” The law states that the use of sound signals of car alarms resulting in violation of the peace and quiet at night may lead to the administrative responsibility. In our country, there is no such rule.

Ales Liauchuk, belsat.eu

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