Zdeněk Bambas and his invisible men

Traffic Police Chief Zdeněk Bambas is packing up his bags. We can only speculate on what legacy he will leave behind after 14 years in this post. Maybe a trail of dead killed in road accidents and traffic cops who are more than willing to accept bribes. It's a good thing that Bambas is leaving, but the state of the police force today is such that it's likely he will simply be replaced by a different version of Bambas.

It's not just Bambas and his invisible men who are responsible for deaths on Czech roads, damage worth billions of crowns and irresponsible drivers, who don't respect traffic rules. The Czech Republic has a number of specialised traffic departments – at the Transport Ministry, for instance – which share some of this responsibility. Politicians are to blame too. They have reduced the point system, which in other countries has helped save lives, to a piece paper that is nothing but a mockery to local drivers.

In a way, Bambas is just a puppet. He wasn't the real traffic police chief because this section of the police force is, above all, directed by regional chiefs. Bambas directly managed only six people, and this includes his secretary. His work was „strategic.“ He could advise and offer suggestions about how to improve the battle against irresponsible drivers. His job was to push through regulations that were to make the work of the traffic police more efficient, such as mandatory surveillance cameras, radars, traffic lights and…