The number of traffic rule violations recorded by the surveillance cameras in Chisinau has increased after the court passed a judgment, ruling that the filming and photographing of vehicles through the video monitoring system represent violations of the right to private life. Since December 18, when the court decision was passed, the number of recorded violations rose by 30%.

The process of recording violations goes on. Contacted by IPN, the head of the Traffic Monitoring and Control Center of the Ministry of the Interior’s Information Technology Service Dan Chirita said that initially, when the system was instituted on a trial basis, the video cameras recorded thousands of traffic rule violations committed by drivers. Gradually, their number increased to 3,000- 3,500 during 24 hours. Between December 18 and December 31, 2014, the average figure was over 4,000 violations during 24 hours.

So far this year, the number of violations has decreased owing to the holidays as many drivers went out of the city. The weather conditions also prevented the drivers from travelling at high speed.

“We didn’t stop the monitoring process and do not have the right to stop it,” stated Dan Chirita. The decision of the first court is not definitive. The Ministry of the Interior challenged it in the Appeals Court and is waiting for a judgment.

Surveillance cameras were set up in the municipality of Chisinau and in six districts. On December 18, 2014, the Centru court accepted the application of the Association “Jurists for Human Rights” against the Ministry of the Interior, ruling that the surveillance cameras violate the right to private life.