A police officer from Zealand is suspected of using a patrol car while off-duty to collect traffic fines from foreigners. The independent police complaints authority, Den Uafhængige Politiklagemyndighed (DUP), said that ten victims had been fleeced by the rogue cop.
Foreigners stopped for traffic offences can resolve cases by paying the fine directly to the officer making the stop. Instead of turning the fine money over, the accused officer is said to have lined his own pockets.
He was originally arrested in April. Since then, new cases have come to light, including several in which he illegally used a patrol car in his spare time to prey on foreign drivers. Since the officer was on his own time, those cases move beyond misconduct into theft.
A second cop
DUP has also charged a second officer with stealing fine money from motorists. The second officer is also accused of having signed a false name and personnel number on tickets, which constitutes forgery.
Police are co-operating with authorities in Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Poland, Sweden and Germany.
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Martin Cumberland, the lawyer for the two officers charged, has previously stated his clients are innocent.
The cases will soon be sent to the public prosecutor’s office in Copenhagen, which will decide whether to proceed.
