The Kirkuk police chief said that there is no pardon for the driver of the vehicle who ran over a member of the traffic police and injured him.
On Wednesday, May 22, a vehicle ran over a traffic policeman near the Mall of Kirkuk, as a result of which he was injured. The police were able to arrest the driver of the vehicle less than an hour after he fled the scene, in the fourth assault recorded against members of the traffic and rescue police since 2021.
Whereabouts of the accident
Major General Kawa Gharib, Kirkuk Police Chief, said in an exclusive statement to (KirkukNow) that the driver committed a violation, so the traffic policeman issued a ticket against him.
“Then he committed a violation against the policeman... The policeman was forced to block his way, but the driver assaulted him and ran him over with his vehicle, the policeman clung to the vehicle for 300 meters before letting go.”
A video clip published after the accident showed a traffic policeman on the front hood of the vehicle that was moving quickly, before the policeman fell to the ground and was then hospitalized.
Less than an hour later, the driver was arrested and the policeman was taken to his home after receiving treatment.
“We will resort to the judiciary to hold the driver accountable so that such cases will not be repeated,” Major General Gharib said.
In accordance with the second paragraph of Article 38 of the Iraqi Traffic Law No. 8 of 2019, anyone who assaults a traffic police officer during the performance of his duty or because of that shall be punished with imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year. The penalty shall be severe imprisonment if, as a result of the assault and resistance, a wound, harm, or tearing of uniform occurs.
Under Article 230 of the Iraqi Penal Code regarding insulting state employees on duty, the driver’s punishment will be imprisonment for up to three years or a fine.
The Kirkuk Police Chief's confirmation of resorting to the judiciary comes at a time when Kirkuk has witnessed the recording of four cases of attacks on traffic and emergency police personnel since 2021.
Arrest of the driver of the vehicle who “deliberately” ran over a traffic policeman and injured him, Kirkuk, January 20, 2024. Kirkuk Police media
Four violations in three years
At the beginning of this year, a person illegally parked his vehicle near Al-Nasr Hospital in central Kirkuk and “refused to comply” with the orders of a traffic policeman present in the area, so he deliberately ran him over and then fled.
On August 13, 2022, a vehicle driver assaulted a policeman in Al-Hasir Bazaar downtown of Kirkuk and injured him after hitting him in the head with his mobile phone. This was after the policeman asked him for a market permit and a vehicle registration document, because the vehicle’s windows were tinted.
On the night of May 5, 2021, a number of members and guards of the Iraqi Turkmen Front ITF, including the son of one of the deputy head of ITF, attacked a rescue police detachment while performing their duty. Two guards were arrested and referred to court.
The accident that occurred early this year ended with the court punishing the violating driver with imprisonment
Violations increased
Regarding the reason for the increase in violations, Major General Gharib said, “In fact, the cultural level of citizens is low and they often tend to commit violations, at a time when the activity of the traffic police has increased in the streets.”
“If we cannot make citizens abide by the law regarding traffic violations, we will not be able to protect their lives,” he added.
"The accident that occurred early this year ended with the court punishing the violating driver with imprisonment."
He insisted that they will not accept any form of reconciliation out of court.
“We will not pardon anyone from our side. Anyone who assaults a member of the police will be referred to court.”
The police chief called on the media to educate citizens about the tasks of the police and their role in serving citizens.
“I thank the (Kirkuk Now) website, through which we can educate citizens and communicate our demands to them. Hence, we call on the citizens of Kirkuk to cooperate with the police.”
“The increase in the number of vehicles makes their tasks difficult. There are families consisting of five people, each of whom has a car, which leads to traffic congestion.”
