Paphos People

New penalties have come into effect in the UK for drivers who use their mobile phone at the wheel;

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4271246/Drivers-caught-using-mobile-phones-wheel-again.html

I'm really looking forward to this coming to Cyprus, the fines would serve to provide significant funds which may be used for example; to mend the roads. Safety would be improved by taking the idiots who do this off the road.

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wow

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Dave

If they did update the laws here, they would never be enforced anymore than the current laws are.
Geoff.

Maybe an inducement would help; how about the police get a xmas tax free bonus based upon meeting a quota for example?

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Absolutely so Geoff. It would be so good if the law were enforced regarding the use of mobile phones whilst driving, but as you rightly say, it won't be. They don't even put the phone down when near a police presence.

Easy to knock the police here, but the figures tell a different story.
During January Cyprus police booked 9,562 drivers for speeding along with another 11,868 for other offences (non-use of seat-belts, mobile phone use, drink driving, children in front of car etc.). They carried out 6,702 breathalyser tests and 831 people were over the legal limit.
In addition, they are pressing the government to increase the penalties for all such offences.

Loos to me that they are doing a pretty good job.

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Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. - Albert Einstein

In most cases no doubt without the driver actually committing a moving traffic offense!

This scatter-gun appropach to law inforcement IMHO is not the way to go to gain the respect of the law & its enforcement. The result will be the complete opposite, it's human nature.

Target the law breakers by all means, but stop harassing those who are abiding by the law.

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"In most cases no doubt without the driver actually committing a moving traffic offense!"
Just because they have not committed an offense when stopped does not mean they are sober and have not previously committed one or won't later

Just recently it was reported that the Paphos police had doubled the number of bookings for illegal parking for 2016 v 2015 to 323. What the hell are all these police on the motorcyles doing around here? 323 for a whole year? Less than one per day! If they did their job, they could book 323 in one day in Paphos. Try coming down the one way system beyond Paphiakos Bingo on a Saturday night, and you can hardly get a car through with all the illegal parking. Good job the buses don't run past midnight there, because they wouldn't get through.

I agree with what you say, but Topgun has got a point. Two weeks ago at 1am on a Sunday morning, I was driving through Old Pafos with my wife in the car and two friends. I was asked if I had drunk alcohol, and said yes, I had one alcohol drink between 9.00 - 9.30 and then on soft drinks rest of night, as I always do when out. I was breathalysed, and obviously it came out ok, and I had no objection to being stopped. Went up the road to drop our two passengers off, and within no more than 5 minutes was stopped when going back down the road by the same policeman. I told him that he had only breathalysed me 5 minutes ago, and he had asked my name on each occasion. He started getting arsy, so did another test, which obviously was ok - again. So Topgun is correct when he states about harrassment.

Zorba,
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but isn't this how UK police are supposed act, to react only to a moving traffic offence, or obvious evidence of drunken driving?

Not to 'pot a red & then go for a colour' just to eleviate their boredom!

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thought we were talking about Cypriot police, however I have been stopped in UK for a breathalyser test without committing any offense.
From the UK Gov site:
2. Breath tests
The police can stop you at any time and ask you to take a breath test (‘breathalyse’ you) if:
they think you’ve been drinking
you’ve committed a traffic offence
you’ve been involved in a road traffic accident

Yes I was!

I was alluding to the UK police 'code of practice' as a basis for judgement, since IMHO they are far more professional & experienced than the those I've encountered thus far in Cyprus.

If, as you say, you were stopped & breathalised in the UK without committing any offence, then could it have been attributed to the manner in which you were driving that gave them cause to think you drunk?

My point is (as WD realised), the police here in Cyprus do so with little, or no justifiable reason. Hence my case for classifying their action as harassment

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