And then there are the police stops. Can't forget those.
Here in Tanzania, that means big men in all white uniforms lingering at the side of the road and waiting to pull people over. The main reason for pulling people over is speeding (so they say), with talking on the phone while driving coming in at a close second. That said, I now know they will find an excuse for anything: no fire extinguisher, flat tire, bent mirror, car is too red, car is too blue, they don’t like Toyotas, their football team lost, etc. In short, it is little more than a shakedown, and people point at the policemen’s bulging bellies as prime evidence. The main reason for pulling people over, evidently, is to supplement their own meager salaries. Hard to figure that one out, isn't it?
Here in Tanzania, that means big men in all white uniforms lingering at the side of the road and waiting to pull people over. The main reason for pulling people over is speeding (so they say), with talking on the phone while driving coming in at a close second. That said, I now know they will find an excuse for anything: no fire extinguisher, flat tire, bent mirror, car is too red, car is too blue, they don’t like Toyotas, their football team lost, etc. In short, it is little more than a shakedown, and people point at the policemen’s bulging bellies as prime evidence. The main reason for pulling people over, evidently, is to supplement their own meager salaries. Hard to figure that one out, isn't it?
So who do you pull over? People who can spare a few thousand tsh's (Tanzanian shillings): people owning bigger cars are the prime candidates, obviously, although it
appears that they are not the only ones targeted. In all, it does seem kind of
random. As a driver held liable for a certain offense, you have a certain choice: go to the police station and pay the full fine or pay half the fine to guess who…the man in white, and by that I don’t mean a Catholic priest. People usually take the easy way out, unless they are unwilling to part with any money at all. I have yet to see policemen pull over bajajs, for example…until now.
On my way home one day, I am frolicking in a bajaj, checking
out the roadside action. There are dozens of tables on the side of the road: the
vendors’ tables selling mangoes and bananas, tables serving snacks for weary
travelers, poker tables, you name it. Besides the tables, there are also the
white uniformed police officers at their usual place.
There is obviously trouble. Dozens of guys are surrounding
this cop, who is trying to create a little more elbow space. Uniform or not, if
there are twenty guys surrounding me with a bone to pick, I will handle a
situation like this very delicately. Here,
you might want to forego the bribe and dismiss the driver with a warning. The
bajaj driver pulls on the brakes and immediately leaps out to join the fracas.
From what I gather, the cop has confiscated a bajaj and is
dangling the keys in front of the furious mob. Let’s put it this way: I doubt
the bajaj driver was pulled over for speeding. The driver was talking on the
phone, the cop insists, and the perp refuses to pay the fine. The mob is
growing by the minute, and I’m hoping they come to some sort of settlement
here, simply because all white uniforms and all white guys (like me) might not mix very well in a situation like this.
There is quick talk in Swahili that I don’t understand, and
people are getting louder. The mob continues to grow.
The next thing you know, a dozen guys—probably fellow bajaj
drivers—defy the policeman and carry the
bajaj across the road and to safety. Very crafty. Something tells me that the policeman
tried to shake down the wrong guy. Another unformed policeman arrives to the
rescue, and for a moment I am convinced that the bajaj drivers might just climb
back into their vehicles and storm this farce of a police stop with all nine hp
engines roaring in unison.
People here in Dar have a reason to be jittery. According to
a report published last year by EABI (East Africa Bribery Index), the Tanzanian
police has the highest number of bribe cases within the East African community.
Ironically, none other than the Tanzanian police accepted an 8.8 million pound aid
package from the UK for what is known as the Strengthening Tanzania
Anti-Corruption Action (STACA). Way to go, London. Open toilet lid, flush
money.
Meanwhile, the vendors on the side of the road are making
out like bandits, selling their drinks and snacks to the mob members who are seeking
a little reprieve from the action. The only thing that is missing here is the popcorn and the nachos. There is a screen of about ten guys
protecting the bajaj while another couple of dozen continue to argue with the
policemen. There will be no bargaining here, I realize. The bajaj drivers want
the key to the vehicle back, period.
Finally, the cops relent (smart choice), the bajaj drivers
scatter, and I get to go home in one piece.
Note to self: avoid the police whenever possible. You would
think that’s common sense in any country, but I am now certain that the bad
guys in this country are not dressed in black.
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