“To serve and protect! I find it hard to relate this expression to what happened a few nights ago in Stara Zagora. Especially when we receive dozens of reports from all over the country against police officers who overstep their rights on a daily basis. The situation has worsened since they gave the Security Police the power to carry out activities related to the work of the Traffic Police.”
So begins a Facebook post by traffic expert Diana Rusinova on the lack of reform in the Ministry of Interior and the case of a man who died after a chase with the police in Stara Zagora. According to her, it is the lack of reform, training, finances and corruption in the Ministry of Interior that has led to citizens being guarded and protected by law enforcement. She believes that the credibility of the institution has completely collapsed. Her post reads as follows:
“On the other hand, I continue to argue that police officers in Bulgaria are underpaid, ill-equipped, have insufficient equipment and, above all, no resources for their training. Thus, without training and without clear tactics, these people are thrown into the pursuit of offenders. The results are shocking (the Burgas case, the case of the Trakia motorway chasing migrants at the entrance to Sofia, the case of the road markings near Pazardzhik, the case of the protest against the BFS in Sofia, the case of the Panamera convoy whose driver killed two French citizens on Sofia’s Okolovrasno). And we come to the Stara Zagora case.
The combination of lack of reform, training and finances, corruption in the Ministry of Interior has led to the fact that citizens have to be protected and defended by law enforcement. Trust in this institution has been totally destroyed, outright destroyed. This is exactly why our organization is often present as an observer during inspections, collecting evidence from traffic accidents, but as you can guess, we are not a welcome observer.
Often when we point out mistakes of the „Traffic Police“ we are slandered and accused of anything. Unfortunately, the end result of all of the above is the death of Bulgarian citizens who, even if they are guilty, deserve, above all, a fair trial. When you put on the uniform it is necessary to wear it with pride and serve the citizens, not to walk around like an untouchable derribe.
It is now all in the hands of the professional leadership of the MHA. There are great professionals and many conscientious people in the police, those who wear the uniform with pride and honour, and I believe that it is they who will lead the march towards the creation of a decent Bulgarian police force, not a thuggish structure for extortion and protection of criminals and lawbreakers.
Condolences to the relatives of the murdered man in Stara Zagora!”
