Short History

OCTOBER

Monday 13th October 2008
IRSA – police trainers from the Madrilenian police academy CIFSE started a training program about traffic education at the police head quarters in Slobozia, Ialomita, Romania. The training was organized to train the local police and teachers from primary schools on how to educate children about traffic safety by using new developed education materials. IRSA donates the first mobile traffic education park in Romania to the local police.

Tuesday 14th October 2008
The IRSA trainers, with assistance of the local traffic police officers in Ialomita, prepared the mobile traffic education park at the playground of a primary school and taught the police officers and teachers how to organize practice traffic education training with the children. The children were extremely surprised and are thinking about participating in a competition in the future.

Wednesday 15th October 2008
Today in the presence of many local and county authorities, the Dutch Ambassador, the Chief of the National Traffic Police, IRSA – Spain representatives, the traffic education trainers and a few hundred children with their teachers, the traffic education park was inaugurated at the playground of a primary school in Slobozia.

After a series of speeches of all authorities and covered by media and press, an official handling by cutting a ribbon, the signal for the children was the start using the park under the control of two traffic police officers who were specially trained by our IRSA trainers.

The response of all the children present, teachers, police and authorities was heart-warming, extremely positive and many thanks were expressed to the IRSA – Association for this great initiative. The local police and teachers will be additionally trained by our trainers.

Thursday 16th October 2008
A Romanian delegation representing the national traffic police, the ministries of Justice, Finance and Interior visited the CJIB in the Netherlands. This ministerial department collects the fines of traffic violations in the Netherlands. The purpose of the visit was to see how the system works under specific created laws and if this model could be used for improving the Romanian legal system.

Friday 17th October 2008
A special meeting at the IRSA Staff Bureau with a Dutch public prosecutor about the punishment system of criminal violations and the collection of fines including the use of legal methods if violators do not pay the fine. In the Netherlands 95% of all fines are collected. In the afternoon IRSA organized a visit to the speed camera manufacturer GATSO to learn about the latest technical developments of speed enforcement technology.

Saturday 18th October 2008
The Romanian delegation evaluated the results of the meetings with the Dutch legal specialists of the CJIB and the Ministry of Justice at the IRSA Staff Bureau. Conclusions were made and follow-up meetings were scheduled to continue with the contacts with the representatives of the various bodies from the Ministry of Justice. The Dutch model will be studied carefully and most likely used for improving the justice system in Romania.

SEPTEMBER

Monday 1st September 2008
An IRSA trip to the Secretary Seguridad Ciudadana, Direction Prevention in the state Querétaro-Mexico was organized, invited by the Chief Mr. Gustavo Olvera Girón. The objectives were to investigate the possibilities to establish an IRSA – Association Representative Office, a non-governmental Road Safety organization and the preparation of a pilot “Road Show” in Querétaro.

The “Road Show” is an IRSA multi media traffic education program for youngsters, performed by professional emergency specialists, a mother of a crash victim and the victim himself; all with a mixture of impressive road safety ads, crash scene videos and music. In a first meeting the potential participants – emergency responders and two crash victims – were informed about the details of the program and a special video about this Road Show was presented.

Tuesday 2nd September 2008
A visit to the police school in San Juan del Rio and the police station and Secretario Seguridad Publica Municipal to discuss the participation of IRSA – Association / TRAFPOL / IRSA – Spain to upgrade knowledge related to enforcement programs, public awareness campaigns, introduction of new enforcement equipment, crash investigation & reconstruction and the necessary new software to collect crash data.

Trainers of the police school of San Juan del Rio are invited to receive additional training at CIFSE, the police academy in Madrid, Spain. The training will be coordinated by TRAFPOL / IRSA – Spain in 2009.

Wednesday 3rd September 2008
A visit to the Mexican National Transport Institute was organized to meet the staff of the institute and to receive information about the road safety situation in Mexico on federal and state level. The IRSA delegation received explanation about the various research programs and visited the venues of the Institute. The director of the Institute confirmed his willingness to participate in the process to start collaboration with IRSA and agreed to join the board of the new national ngo for road safety.

Thursday 4th September 2008
A press conference was organized by the Secretary Seguridad Ciudadana, Direction Prevention. The media coverage was successful, there was a massive response; journalists, radio and TV reporters and photographers attended the conference.

There after a visit followed to the Technical University in San Juan del Rio, where the IRSA delegation was requested to inform approximately 350 students, local authorities and the staff of the University about the role of the IRSA – Association, its programs, projects and the “Road Show” in particular. The 4 presentations were performed on special request of the Secretario Seguridad Publica Municipal of San Juan del Rio. All IRSA delegates received a special attendee diploma.

Friday 5th September 2008
A second meeting was organized by Mr. Gustavo Olvera Girón between the IRSA delegates and the staff of the Secretary Seguridad Ciudadana, Direction Prevention, to discuss the set up of the national road safety organisation, the IRSA – Representative Office and the performance of the Road Shows at High schools in the state of Querétaro. All necessary procedures were explained, agreed upon and related draft agreements have been prepared to be checked with the Mexican laws.

It was also agreed to organize the first “Road Show” in November /December 2008. A delegation of TRAFPOL / IRSA – Spain will attend this pilot event to train the participants and to control the performance on quality based upon the license agreement with the Institute for Traffic Care. A special budget has been confirmed to organize a series of “Road Shows” in 2009 and 2010.

Saturday 6th September 2008
Due to the press conference and the massive response in the media on the Friday, the Senator of Querétaro Mr. Guillermo Tamborrel Suarez contacted the Chief of the Secretary Seguridad Ciudadana, Direction Prevention, Mr. Gustavo Olvera Girón to organize a special meeting with the IRSA delegation. Purpose of the meeting was to discuss the details of collaboration and how he could assist in this important process. The Senator is responsible for safety and health issues for the state Querétaro. In our hotel just before leaving to Europe a constructive meeting took place between the senator, the Secretary Seguridad Ciudadana, Direction Prevention and the IRSA delegation. After explanation of the goals and objectives of the organizations, the identification of many road safety problems in Mexico, the attendee agreed to start the procedures as described with full support of the Senator. He invited Mr. Gustavo Olvera Girón to present the IRSA views at the Senate meeting on 22nd September.

AUGUST

Wednesday 13th August 2008
IRSA signed the last operational contracts with the Head of the Police in the County Ialomita to validate the collected speed violations and to send the data to the Police Head Quarters in Bucharest to print the tickets and send them to the violators.

To manage so much data requires a lot of extra personnel and extension of the dispatch centre with hard- and software. The staff will soon start to work in two shifts, in total 16 hours per day, to administrate 15.000 tickets daily.

Another contract was signed to use an extra mobile speed camera in Perieti. The need for extra cameras is clear. Only 6 cameras recorded in 50 days 500.000 speed violations!!

Thursday 14th August 2008
An historical day for IRSA after solving so many (legal and organisational) difficulties over a 4 year period, the first 6800 tickets of the 48.000 processed violations have been sent to the violators. This was only now possible due to the signing today of the contract with the National Post.
All our operational partners have been informed and showed their determination to make this road safety project successful.

Friday 15th August 2008
IRSA finished the preparation of all documents to employ the first executive director of the IRSA – Association Representative Office in Bucharest. The contracts have been signed and the Executive Director has officially been appointed.

Wednesday 20th August 2008
An IRSA organized and coordinated trip to the police of Kent in the UK, with a Romanian National Traffic Police delegation including the Director to meet specialists from the speed camera partnership.

The Head of the Speed Camera Partnership, part of the Road Safety Department of the local council of Kent & Medway informed the Romanian delegation about all aspects of the camera project, the strategy, the participating partners, the cooperation with other stakeholders, the related and combined public awareness campaigns, the technical and administrative issues, the special equipped van with the latest laser equipment inside the vehicle, and the legal procedures leading to the court, including the explanation of type of staff with limited power.

The British project has been working with great success for a large number of years and with excellent results. The Head of the team offered the delegation all assistance and is willing to explain all details to the authorities in due time in Romania

Thursday 21st August 2008
The Head of the Traffic Police of Kent received the delegation at his office and presented the approach of the UK police in general, the use of equipment, the fleet, procedures and in particular the delegation received all details about crash investigation and reconstruction methods, the procedures at the scene of the crash, the collecting of evidence, the type of used equipment, the various software programs for investigation the evidence, the procedures of incident management, the specific roles of the police, the fire fighters, para medics and the high way agency with their supporting role and their special supporting equipment.

The delegation was overwhelmed due to the materials provided by their cooperative British colleagues. A special report will be prepared and presented to the Romanian national governmental authorities. The Director of the Romanian Traffic Police was very satisfied and confirmed his intention to use all this material, good practices and procedures in his efforts to upgrade the level of traffic policing in his country.

Friday 22nd August 2008
The delegation met again with the various UK police and road safety specialists to review the visits of both days. Future training in Romania will be scheduled soon with the assistance of the British IRSA colleagues of Kent, UK.