When the National Police chief issued a directive to phase out manual ticketing and leave traffic enforcement to the cameras, it was only a matter of time before new measures were needed to counter the two obvious flaws in the digital system: limited camera coverage and enterprising traffic violators.
Today, the Jakarta Metro Police is launching the mobile arm of its Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement (E-TLE) system, comprising 11 police cars equipped with traffic cameras. These vehicles will patrol the capital’s busiest main roads and are able to capture traffic violations.
Police officers may also capture traffic violations using their smartphones, adding to mobile E-TLE’s coverage.
There are currently 56 static E-TLE cameras installed throughout Jakarta, with 70 more to be added next year.
In October, National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo announced new rules for traffic law enforcement, chief among which is making manual ticketing and issuance of fines to drivers obsolete. To prevent bribery, all tickets and fines for traffic violations will be issued via E-TLE. This system will be valid until at least the end of 2022, with an extension pending a new directive.
Motorists who find themselves snapped by E-TLE cameras — static or mobile — will get a digital notification for their warning or their fine. Those who fail to pay their fine after a certain period of time may have their vehicle registration suspended.
Amid widespread reports of motorists obscuring their license plates from the cameras, the Jakarta Metro Police reinstated manual traffic law enforcement against the practice, as well as against fake license plates, illegal street racing, and noisy exhaust pipes.
