Three unmarked ‘phantom’ patrol cars return to Kyiv roads

Three unmarked ‘phantom’ patrol cars return to Kyiv roads AI

From August 31, police will deploy three unmarked “phantom” patrol cars across Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, using automated speed-measurement systems and plate recognition to register speeding violations without stopping drivers, the head of the Patrol Police said. Authorities plan to increase their number later. Expect more automatic speed checks on major approaches to the city: the cars record speeds in both directions and send data to the automatic fines system.

The Patrol Police will put three unmarked “phantom” patrol cars into operation on Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast roads starting August 31, the department’s head, Oleksii Biloshytskyi, told LB.ua. The vehicles have no police markings but are fitted with systems that measure vehicle speed both while the phantom is moving and when it is stationary.

When a violation is recorded the patrols read and recognize licence plates, check them in databases, and send metadata into the automatic traffic-enforcement system, which generates administrative orders without stopping the vehicle. The cars can record violations in both directions; in non-automatic mode they use two on-board cameras to capture offences ahead of and behind the patrol car. Officers inside a phantom may still stop a driver for particularly dangerous breaches under Article 35 of the National Police law. Authorities say the program will expand with additional phantom vehicles in the future.

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