Mumbai Traffic Police to crack down on fake police logo, stickers on vehicles

After the Bombay High Court ordered the Mumbai Traffic Police to penalise motorists who have pasted the 'Police' stickers or logo on their private vehicles, a circular was issued by the Mumbai Traffic Police (MTP) on Tuesday, failing which motorists would be fined. Police sources said, with this sticker, it becomes an easy way out for violators to evade paying fine after being caught. The same rule applies to court judges and journalists as well.

The circular has been sent to all the traffic divisions and the officers have been asked to initiate action against all private vehicles sporting 'Police' sticker or the police logo of Mumbai Police, Mumbai Traffic Police or Maharashtra Police. If caught, the violator will be penalised. The stickers too will be removed from the vehicle. Madhukar Pandey, joint commissioner of police (traffic) said, "People use the logo as a way to violate traffic rules and get away with it. Moreover, many cases of impersonation have also been recorded where they fleece money from unsuspecting motorists who either jump a signal or violate some other traffic rules."

The circular issued on Tuesday states not just police staff but also individuals not associated with the police force paste such stickers on windscreens or motorbikes to avoid payment of a penalty in case they violate traffic laws or even to avoid paying toll at the toll posts. "These stickers are easily available in the market for as low as Rs 15, allowing anyone to paste it on the windscreen of the cars or motorcycle's mudguard/ number plates," said Pandey.

"Many complaints were registered lately wherein vehicles with police logos were reported to be parking their vehicles in a no-parking spot. Due to this, we will soon begin a crackdown on motorists who have pasted logos of 'Police' and 'Press'," added Pandey. A similar circular was issued by the High Court to stop the practice of inscribing letters 'Nyaydhish', 'Judge' or 'Metropolitan Magistrate' on private vehicles on Tuesday.

Playing Police

• People tend to use logos of Mumbai police and ‘police’ stickers get away with violation of traffic rules
• Many cases of impersonation have also been reported where they fleece money from unsuspecting motorists who either jump a signal or violate some other traffic rules