A DRIVER with the Shekou Exit-Entry Inspection and Quarantine Sub-bureau was detained for three days for threatening a whistleblower who reported his driving violation.

    The driver, surnamed Chen, was also given an administrative demerit, was removed from his post and had six months’ worth of his salary garnished.

    On the evening of Sept. 3, a driver, surnamed Huang, took a photo of a white minibus that illegally changed lanes in front of her vehicle during rush hour near Buxin bus stop in Luohu District. She then uploaded the photo to the police’s WeChat account along with an explanation about what happened and her information. At 9 p.m., Huang received a phone call from a man who claimed to be a police officer and warned her not to send the photo to the police or to report the violation.

    Huang was scared because the caller knew not only her name and phone number but also her address.

    Police immediately launched an investigation and discovered that the caller was actually Chen, the driver of the vehicle with the Shekou Exit-Entry Inspection and Quarantine Sub-bureau.

    According to Chen, his minibus was blocked by a car in front of him near Buxin bus stop, so he illegally changed lanes. After he had passed the car, he saw Huang taking a photo of his vehicle.

    Chen memorized Huang’s license plate number and followed her until she entered the parking lot of her housing estate.

    When Chen went home, he asked his son, who works as a police aid for the traffic police command center in Heyuan City, Guangdong Province, for help.

    At first, his son refused his request, but then Chen lied and said he was involved in an accident and needed to contact the other driver.

    In the phone call to Huang, Chen demanded that Huang not send the police the photo, but she had already done so. Chen said that he lied about working for the city’s public security bureau, but regretted it.

    The police said that they keep whistleblowers’ information confidential, and that those who threaten or take revenge on whistleblowers will be punished.

    The police also said that passengers, not drivers, should take photos of violators since people should not use their mobile phones while driving.

    (Han Ximin)