Admin I Tuesday, April 08, 2024
BERLIN – The number of registered traffic offences committed by international diplomats in the German capital Berlin has risen by almost 10% in the space of a year.
In 2022, 15,110 reports of traffic offences involving diplomatic vehicles were registered by the police, compared to 16,615 in 2023, Berlin police told dpa on Monday.
Most offences were committed by US diplomats (1,055), followed by officials from Saudi Arabia (826) and Iraq (587). Diplomats have immunity from prosecution in the countries they are posted to by their governments. The police calculate that the city of Berlin missed out on €379,010 ($410,800) in fixed penalties and fines in 2023.
Police union (GdP) spokesperson Benjamin Jendro wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the police are increasingly finding that diplomatic status is seen as a free pass for behaving recklessly in traffic.