Diplomat privilege in NRW: Why remain unpunished traffic violations
Diplomat privilege in NRW: Why remain unpunished traffic violations
North Rhine-Westphalia houses numerous consulates and diplomatic representations in cities such as Bonn, Düsseldorf, Cologne and the Ruhr area. Due to their immunity, special rules apply to diplomats, which they do not make under criminal law. This has an impact, as diplomats, as observed in Berlin, often ignore rules, especially in road traffic. In 2023, the number of violations in Berlin increased by ten percent compared to the previous year, which led to a loss of approximately 379.010 euros in conquerors and fines.
In contrast, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia does not pursue any traffic violations that are directly connected to diplomats. A spokesman for the State Ministry of the Interior confirmed that the NRW police have no statistical recording of such violations and has no knowledge of lost funds. There is no statistical evaluation or overview of these offenses, as this is regarded as not expedient for the police and regulatory authorities.The State Ministry of the Interior differentiates between traffic crimes that are pursued by the public prosecutors and traffic offenses. In the former, the authorities will inform the Federal Office of the Justice or the Federal Foreign Office. Transport offenses, on the other hand, are under the responsibility of the municipalities of the municipalities, which notify the Federal Foreign Office, unless they are minor violations.
In any case, traffic violations of diplomats are not reported to the police, which means that no fines or warning funds are imposed. However, it should be noted that German diplomats abroad enjoy similar protection, whereby punishments may be significantly higher than in Germany.
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