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Russian Traffic Police to Go Undercover

The cars would be driven by plainclothes officers and equipped with video recording devices.

Russian traffic police may start patrolling the country's roads in unmarked cars next year, Deputy Interior Minister Viktor Kiryanov told the TASS news agency on Wednesday.

“We need to identify rude, aggressive drivers, but it can be very hard to do,” he said. “When a driver sees a police car, they change their behavior,” he added.

He clarified that the cars would be driven by plainclothes officers and equipped with video recording devices.

In October, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that it was important that the police do not abuse their powers while implementing the measure, the BBC's Russian service reported.

“Patrol officers will need an appropriate level of training and legal knowledge,” he was quoted as saying.

In October, Russia's Interior Ministry issued a decree introducing tougher tests for learner drivers. The change will come into force by the end of the year.

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