Outlaw on the Run

[Rudy Tamasz]

Just thought it would be interesting to share it with you.

We had a pretty spectacular car chase in our town a couple days ago. A driver in a brand new Merc wouldn't stop when police wanted to pull him. They started chasing the guy and pretty soon about six copwagons were on his tail. They weren't shooting because they figured there was a woman and a kid on the backseat. They chased him to a dead end lane but he drove across pavements and flowerbeds and then onto the main avenue. Then he made it to the ringroad and escaped. He hasn't been arrested yet despite the fact that his numberplates are known.

Of course, we have all kinds of versions of what happened flying around. Some say this was a very well connected guy or a son of a high profile gov't official and that's why they let him get away. Needless to say, the general view on forums is that cops made complete idiots out of themselves.

[A.F.F.]

Corruption.... it's good to be a king.

[Eki]

Why did they want to stop him? Was it just because he drove a brand new Merc and thought they could get some money from him?

How honest is the police in Belarus in general? I've heard that in Russia, cops may stop you, come up with some bogus charges and pocket the fine money by themselves. But maybe it's just a rumor.

[A.F.F.]

And why didn't shoot, just the joy of it?

[gadjo_dilo]

the general view on forums is that cops made complete idiots out of themselves.

No offence, but in my country the standard of stupidity is represented by policeman.

[A.F.F.]

No offence, but in my country the standard of stupidity is represented by policeman.

Counts as universal phenomenon.

[Rudy Tamasz]

Why did they want to stop him? Was it just because he drove a brand new Merc and thought they could get some money from him?

How honest is the police in Belarus in general? I've heard that in Russia, cops may stop you, come up with some bogus charges and pocket the fine money by themselves. But maybe it's just a rumor.

The culture of driving is pretty bad. People often get pulled for minor violations or just for routine check of documents. Road copa have to be tough. Unlike in Russia, they rarely use the road as a source of incomes, although there are some cases.

In general, we can deal with cops without resorting to bribery. Some cops are honest, some just fear to be caught. It is possible to bribe a cop if you really want to, but you have to be close terms with him, or somebody has to introduce you to him. Corruption get worse as you go up the ladder, though. Recently we had a number of high profile cops arrested for corruption.

My experience with police has been pretty positive. A car vendor tried to cheat me, I filed a complaint and they made a very quick work of the guy. That said Belarusian police is used as a force against the opponents of the government and they disperse mass rallies very brutally.

[schmenke]

What's the point of this thread

[Eki]

To discuss the driving culture and the police force in Belarus.

[Eki]

That reminded me, when I was a kid, Belarus driving culture used to mean tractor driving in the Finnish countryside:

Minsk Tractor Works