Third persons who do not have direct connection with the investigation of a case will not be able to approach a police officer involved in procedural activities and will not be able to film or take photos of the taken measure if they are asked not to do this. The new legislative proposals were discussed in public debates staged by the General Police Inspectorate, IPN reports.

Viorel Cernăuțeanu, head of the Inspectorate’s Legal Division, said that 40 cases of insulting of police officers and 79 cases of putting up resistance and disobeying of police orders were recorded in the first nine months of this year. The legislative proposals are aimed at protecting public functionaries with a special status while fulfilling their duties from the eventual interference of third persons who can generate a danger to the life and health of the police officer. The persons will be able to come closer to the police officer to talk to this, to ask something or to seek help, but not when this documents a case or fulfills a task.

Interference will be considered the taking of pictures, audio recording or filming of the actions of the public functionary with a special status from a distance smaller than a reasonable one, after the police officer warns to stop.

It will be banned lighting the face or other parts of the body from a distance smaller than a reasonable one if such actions reduce the officer’s capacity to react, hinder the documentation of an incident or accident.

According to Viorel Cernăuțeanu, the criteria for deciding a reasonable distance, the intervention techniques and methods are to be approved by the Ministry of the Interior.