VIDEO A man from Ploiești called 112, convinced that the taxi driver was drunk, but he was the one fined by the police
A man from Ploiești was fined 2,000 lei after calling 112 to report that the taxi driver he was traveling with was under the influence of alcohol. Tested with the breathalyzer, the taxi driver had a negative result, so the caller was penalized for unjustifiably calling the emergency number, reports the Prahovean Observatory.
The incident took place on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, around 01:00, in Ploiesti, when a man got into a taxi and asked the driver to take him to a convenience store. The customer became suspicious after the taxi driver told him that he did not know the indicated address.
“It seemed strange to me that he didn't know Ploiești. I told him that I was guiding him, but he missed the turns several times. This, even though I told him exactly where to turn left or right. In addition, he spoke strangely, as if he had consumed alcohol,” the man told the Prahovean Observatory.
The man then asked the taxi driver to stop and called 112.
Two police teams arrived at the scene, who tested the taxi driver with the breathalyzer. The result was negative. The police considered the call unjustified and fined the client 2,000 lei.
Dialogue with the police
The dialogue between the man who called 112 and the policemen who arrived at the scene was captured in a video made by the man himself.
“So, it seemed to me that he was drunk, I called the police. Are you telling me that you are fining me for calling 112?”, the man tells the police, according to the images on the video.
“No reason. It's up to me if I sanction you, I do what's right. If the notification was justified and the result was 0.01…”, the policeman replies.
Following the incident, IPJ Prahova sent a statement explaining the application of the fine.
“The unjustified calling of the single emergency number causes the unnecessary mobilization of law enforcement and can affect the ability to intervene in cases where the safety of citizens is really at risk,” stated the Police representatives.
Since those notified were not confirmed and there was no real emergency situation, the appellant was penalized for contravention, according to the legal provisions in force.
