Vietnam Traffic Police Seek Power to Open Fire on Fleeing Vehicles

In Vietnam, traffic police is among most corrupted groups

by Vu Quoc Ngu, August 17, 2016

The Traffic Police Department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security has asked the country’s legislative body National Assembly to revise its firearms ordinance so that traffic officers will be given the power to open fire in dangerous circumstances, state media has reported.

The revision to the NA’s ordinance will support police use of firearms to ensure public order and safety, Major General Tran Son Ha, head of the Traffic Police Department.

In many cases, it may be too late if police officers have to wait for an order to open fire, said Ha.

Last year, a police officer fired three warning shots during a routine traffic stop in the northern province of Hai Duong, 58 kilometers east of Hanoi. Police had asked the driver to pull over to check if his vehicle was overloaded, but the driver tried to flee. Traffic police gave chase in their squad car, and during the pursuit, a police officer fired three shots into the air. The police officer was subsequently suspended from going on routine patrols.

It is virtually unheard of in Vietnam for traffic police to open fire at moving vehicles, so the incident raised public concern about police abuse of power.

Vietnam’s ordinance on firearms says that police officers may shoot to kill under guidelines signed by the Minister of Public Security.

Traffic police is among the most corrupted groups in Vietnam, observers said.

In the past, a number of proposals which aimed to empower police and traffic police were turned down.