KLSH, criticism of the e-Fine system: Citizens should be notified by mail about traffic violations

2024-08-06 22:13:00, Aktualitet CNA

KLSH, criticism of the e-Fine system: Citizens should be notified by mail about

The High State Control raises questions about the management system of traffic fines known as e-fines.

After an in-depth audit that has scanned the last two years on how the contract has worked from the contracting authority AKSH and the Department for Information Technology, the High State Control requests interventions as soon as possible for the functioning of the electronic fine system.

This is because a discrepancy has been observed between the real time when a police officer imposes the fine on the offense which is announced as such not according to the time and date of the violation, but according to the time when it is registered in the system. This has brought hundreds of lawsuits in court by citizens who insist that they have not committed violations according to the notified data.

Another problem is the lack of backup, the lack of interaction between institutions, as well as the non-notification of citizens, even through the mail, when a fine is imposed in absentia. Photographing the violation by the police officer is considered an incomplete action that leaves the offending citizen uninformed as long as it is not sent to e-Albania. KLSH emphasizes that the lack of cooperation and coordination between the Directorate of Traffic Police and DTI for following the contract affects the functionality in the use of the "e-fine" system

In 70 percent of cases, citizens object in the administrative courts of Lushnja and Tirana, while in appeals, only those who have had their license revoked and points reduced continue to appeal. 525 citizens submitted appeals for the repeal of the traffic police act to the administrative appeals court

Regarding the findings, KLSH adds that the lack of smart devices in fulfilling the contract increases the risk of incorrect fines in the system. In some cases, KLSH has interviewed traffic police agents who expressed their concern that the communication radios are provided individually as there was no condition. This element affects the security of communication between them, since the radios sold in the market do not always meet the criteria necessary to be safe, the audit states.

KLSH adds that the agents state that the alcohol-measuring devices, although they are approved, do not provide data close to what is determined by a driver during the control. The reserves of KLSH also arise against the lack of a system to make effective the fines against vehicles with foreign license plates, or the timely notification at the border of administrative measures against traffic code violators./CNA