An official at the Ministry of Tourism has been sent to court after he crashed into two deputy municipal police chiefs while driving under the influence of alcohol on Monivong Boulevard on Wednesday.
Municipal police chief and deputy national police chief Sar Thet told The Post on Thursday that police were operating a routine checkpoint along a section of road in Daun Penh district, when a driver crashed his sports utility vehicle into the police line, injuring three officers.
The driver was found to be heavily under the influence of alcohol and was identified as an official of the Ministry of Tourism, he said.
“Documents on the case will be sent to court by Thursday. I have just visited the officers who sustained the injuries and they are recovering well,” said Thet.
Phnom Penh Traffic Police office chief Sem Ratana said the suspect was charged in court according to Article 83 of the Traffic Law. If found guilty, he faces six months to two years in prison and a fine of between two and 10 million riel ($500-$2500).
According to the municipal police report, Leang Bandith, the deputy head of the special intervention bureau sustained a serious head injury in the incident.
The two other officers – deputy police chief Sar Samnang and intervention officer Hong Sangvat sustained minor injuries.
“The driver tested positive to being under the influence of alcohol, registering 0.78 mg/L. He hit the victims at 10:50pm while they lined up to form a checkpoint,” said the report.
During his visit to the injured police officers, Thet expressed his gratitude for their heroic efforts in fulfilling their duty.
He said he had the utmost respect for them putting their lives on the line to protect citizens from drink drivers, especially during the night, and regretted the injuries they sustained.
According to a report on Wednesday, police checkpoints stopped 24 cars and 239 motorbikes. Of the number, there were 24 cases of motorists and 11 cases of motorcyclists under the influence of alcohol, and 239 cases of riding motorcycles without a helmet or mirror.
Phnom Penh municipal police announced it would strengthen police presence from 11pm to 2:30am in a bid to clamp down on those who do not follow the law.
Thet said the increased presence of police during the night would be rolled out across all 14 districts to prevent and cut down on road traffic crimes.
