Traffic Police Disbanded As Government Takes New Steps To Fight Corruption.

On Monday July 18, President Viktor Yushchenko announced that he had given the government instructions to draw up legislation that would abolish the traffic police. Yushchenko said he had warned senior traffic officials three times to stamp out corruption in their ranks, but reforms have not been effective. The traffic police employ about 23,000 people. The president said the traffic police would be replaced by a patrol service that would meet European standards and be monitored carefully to prevent corruption. Yushchenko also announced that he wanted all branches of Ukrainian law enforcement to develop individual ?road maps,? for each region and department to stop corruption. He added that all law enforcement officials should work to be more professional and stop using foul language at work. Concorde Capital: The president has said that ridding the country of corruption was one of his priorities, after clamping down on corruption in the border guard service, it appears the government is now set on putting an end one of Ukriane?s most notorious departments. However, some media outlets have suggested that this may simply be political grandstanding on the part of the president.