Manama: Kuwait has told all Ministry of Interior staff to ensure they fully comply with traffic laws, including wearing safety belts, not holding cell phones while driving and not parking on sidewalks and in no parking zones.
In a directive sent by Director General of the General Directorate of Monitoring and Inspection, Major General Mohammad Al Enezi to all sectors of the Ministry of the Interior, the personnel were told that they should set the example in the application of laws.
He also warned them that any breach of the law would entail applying the related penalties, Kuwaiti daily Al Rai reported on Monday.
Kuwait this month toughened its laws in a new bid to improve traffic culture and avoid road chaos by impounding vehicles for up to months when a driver is caught not wearing the seat belt, holding a cell phone while driving or parking on pavements and in no-parking areas.
Despite heavy pressure from lawmakers to suspend the decision, the Ministry of Interior said that it would keep applying it, arguing that the number of offences has dramatically gone down since it was implemented.
The ministry expects its own staff to adhere to the law.
The directive was issued as statistics by the General Directorate of Monitoring and Inspection showed that 790 complaints had been filed against Interior Ministry staff since the beginning of the year.
The offenses included breaking military laws, not complying with military duties, using social media without permission, and complaints from citizens against employees of the Ministry of the Interior, which constitute abuse of power or misuse of power.
Actions against offenders included five cases of dismissal from the military service and the expulsion of an officer and members of the police force “because of the gravity of the offense that is contrary to the duties and responsibilities of security men and results in the undermining of their reputation in the community.”
The figures showed there were 10 cases of delay in promotion, seven cases of imprisonment for periods between 15 days and a month, and 19 cases in which salaries were reduced.
In some cases, servicemen were acquitted for lack of evidence or witnesses while in others, the complaints are still under investigation.
The statistics indicate that the number of complaints about misuse of social media has increased compared with last year.
