The Ministry of Interior has reissued warnings about the misuse of police licence plates, or they will face consequences.
A March 4 directive, signed by minister Sar Sokha, stated that police licence plates should not be fitted to civilian vehicles, and should not be used to carry out private activities, especially those which are not for the benefit of the state, or which may damage the prestige of the National Police force.
The instructions followed a recent observation that a small number of individuals have misused National Police vehicles or driven them to locations which could impugn on the honour of the police or ministry.
The ministry has instructed its General Secretariat and all departments as well as all police forces across the country to take a number of measures.
“All units must manage a database of vehicles with police licence plates and must update it regularly. If a vehicle is no longer used, the plate and ownership card should be returned to the General Secretariat so it can be removed from the list immediately,” said the directive.
“It is forbidden to allow non-police personnel to drive a vehicle with police plates, and the vehicles must not be driven to casinos, entertainment clubs, karaoke bars or other inappropriate locations,” it added.
The instructions explicitly prohibited the use of the plates to commit crimes, and banned the use of expired plates.
The National Police announced that it will conduct regular inspections of casinos, entertainment clubs, karaoke bars and other inappropriate locations, and will take strict action against anyone found to be misusing a police vehicle.
Yong Kim Eng, president of the People Centre for Development and Peace, said a ban on the inappropriate use of these plates has been in place for a long time, and needed to be enforced more strictly.
“At present, the misuse of police licence plates and vehicles remains a challenge. The important thing is that the authorities employ comprehensive measures to address the issue. This will restore public confidence, and bring an end to public criticism,” he added.
During the ministry’s annual review meeting in February, Sokha instructed the authorities to take action against anyone using police number plates on private vehicles.
“I warn all ministry officials, especially police officers, not to misuse their issued licence plates. They should not lend them to others or use them inappropriately. If they do, they will face consequences,” he said.
