Traffic police allowed to keep portions of fine money to 'modernize' force

Le Tan Toi, head of the Defense-Security Commission, on Tuesday said the proposal, part of a draft law on traffic safety, would be evaluated by the National Assembly as it passes the law.

Toi said the fact that traffic police officers keep a portion of the fine money is not new. Per existing regulations, the Ministry of Public Security's budget distribution is decided by the National Assembly, in which a part of the fine money is used to ensure better maintenance of traffic safety. The percentage of money kept would depend on yearly demand however, he added.

In the 2018-2021, the percentage of fine money kept was at 70%. In 2022 and 2023, the percentage was 79%. Starting from 2024, 85% of the fine money would be retained by the public security ministry.

"The amount of fine money being kept would help the public security ministry launch projects on digital transformation, invest in monitoring system and other equipment, coordinate traffic, deal with traffic violations and build data centers," Toi said.

Deputy public security minister Nguyen Van Long said that towards 2050, Vietnam would see over 40 more highway routes being added, totaling tens of thousands of kilometers. Meanwhile, the traffic police forces do not get an expanded pool of official personnel.

"It presents a big demand to maintain traffic order and safety. As such, we need to quickly modernize the force to keep up with the times and meet the demands of our missions," Long said, adding that the amount of money kept would not be spent on the traffic police officers themselves, but to equip them with equipment for patrolling, controlling, and managing their operations.

Vu Hong Thanh, head of the Economic Commission, said units need to report to the National Assembly on the principles and criteria to decide on the percentages of money kept.

The draft law on traffic safety will be considered for passage by the National Assembly on June 26.