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The amount and amount of fines granted by police officers for violating military ordinances decreased dramatically after the CCR decision declared unconstitutional the article of law establishing sanctions and their value. If, prior to the Constitutional Court decision, the police issued at least 3,500 fines per day, sometimes even more than 5,500, after the decision, the number of fines fell below 1,000 per day. And the average value of sanctions fell sharply, in half.
The daily bulletins sent by the Strategic Communication Group provide, in addition to the balance of new coronavirus cases and their distribution by counties, information on the number and amount of fines issued by police officers for violating military ordinances. Penalty data covers 24-hour intervals from one day to the next.
Before the Constitutional Court’s decision on May 6, when the article of law establishing these fines was declared unconstitutional, the police issued thousands of fines every day. Romania is at the top of European countries in terms of fines granted, but also in terms of the amount of the minimum fine, compared to the average net salary in the economy: minimum fine of 2,000 lei, compared to the net salary 3,200 lei average.
In early May, more than 300,000 fines had been imposed in Romania, totaling more than € 120 million. On most days, at least 5,000 Romanians were punished for failing to comply with “traffic restriction” measures, according to reports sent by the Strategic Communication Group.
The JRC’s decision played a disappointing role in applying the fines, as can be seen from the same data. In the first full 24-hour interval after the CCR’s decision, from May 7 at 1:00 p.m. to May 8 at 1:00 p.m., the police found 871 people who did not comply with traffic restrictions. A day later, on May 8 at 1:00 p.m. – May 9 at 1:00 p.m., the number of people declined further: 444 Romanians caught driving for no reason.
It should be noted that, pending the motivation of the RCC decision and its publication in the Official Gazette, the article of the law establishing the fines and their value is in force, so the police can still impose fines. The question is whether it still makes sense. Lawyers say it is enough for those who have been and will be fined to challenge the sanctions in court.
Comparing these figures with those prior to May 6, we see the effect of the RCC’s decision on police activity. On May 6, the police denounced 3,592 people who violated the military ordinances. May 5 – 3,709 people. In the previous days, their number exceeded the threshold of 5,000, with a record of 5,834 reported on May 3 (Romanians fined between Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3). In the previous interval, from May 1 to 2, 5,477 Romanians had been punished.
Not only has the number of fines decreased, but so has their value. If at the beginning of the month the average value of the fines applied was close to 2,000 lei, which is the minimum fine, in the days after CCR’s decision, the average value was cut in half, around 1,000 lei.
The fact that the average number of fines issued in one day, compared to the number of people caught by the police for violating military ordinances, is less than the minimum amount of the fine (2,000 lei), explained by the fact that not all those caught are fined, some only receive a warning. Interior Minister Marcel Vela also referred to the issuance of warnings instead of fines, on Friday night, on Digi24.
The evolution of the fines imposed by the police in May
May 9
444 people found – total fines of 390,000 lei
Average fine – 878 lei
May 8
871 people detected – total fines of 968,615 lei
Average fine – 1,112 lei
May 7th
3,055 people detected – total fines 5,110,730 lei
Average fine – 1,672 lei
May 6 (ITC Decision)
3,592 people detected – total fines 6,022,952 lei
Average fine – 1,676 lei
May 5th
3,709 people detected – total fines 6,795,810 lei
Average fine – 1,832 lei
May 4th
5,374 people detected – total fines of 9,592,770 lei
Average fine – 1,785 lei
May 3
5,834 people detected – total fines of 11,142,285 lei
Average fine – 1,909 lei
May 2
5,477 people found – total fines of 9,466,700 lei
Average fine – 1,728
May 1
3,957 people detected – total fines of 7,066,342 lei
Average fine – 1,785 lei
