Bucharest Expat » Police

The Real Bucharest Mafia?

Bucharest Expat — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 12:03:15 +0000

A very keen eye will reward you with some of the more comical curiosities of Bucharest Life, one of which is the real-life relatively on going saga of the Bucharest Sopranos. See that flat black, tinted-windowed moderately priced family sedan weaving in and out of traffic like the laws of physics don’t apply? See the group of crumpled leather jacket, pointy -shoed, ball-hugger jean clad goofballs (professional, upstanding citizens) walking around town with a condescending glare on there face as they “bump in to” passersby? Well in some instances (not all mind you) these are the very same people that find it necessary to publicly display what they deem to be the epitome of success in modern day Bucharest. These are the people affiliated with the luxury car displaying, loud talking, shiny suited “business men” you may have seen as well. Now sure enough, some of these people may very well be individuals of purely bad taste, however more often than not they belong to one of Bucharest’s many “families” responsible for earning income through the more “interesting” avenues. We won’t say, nor do we “know” what these so-called avenues are. What we will say is that there are more Rolexes on people’s hand than were ever produced by the Rolex company, there are more local businesses making “payments” above and beyond rent and utilities, the amount of luxury cars in Bucharest seems to surge relative to reported thefts from surrounding countries, and general crime is certainly not on the decline. What gives? The economic crisis truly does hit everyone’s pocket book? Best of all, if you wish to see the “real” mafia, look no further than the front seats of the local Police car.

Recently a local media outlet was gracious to supply is with some “photos” of these “starter-mafia” individuals. Along with the photos they discuss the “split” of the families or “groups” that make their own laws essentially in each of the 6 sectors throughout Bucharest. Again, this is not something we really wish to type here, we will let the links speak for themselves. We do however think it is very “insightful” to say the least. So here are some links to enjoy that give you a glimpse in to how he mafia makes their money, where they are spread about, and various other interest fact… allegedly. Here are some links we found quite amusing to say the least as well as the links to the articles of which this information was sourced: Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 It didn’t come from us. Enjoy.

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Having a Car Rapidly Removed

Bucharest Expat — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:02:13 +0000

Here is a story that maybe some of you can relate to, especially if you’ve paid any attention whatsoever to the way people park around town. At my house very near the center, I have two large garage doors with highly visible “Garaj” markings displayed on the front of them. Although it is printed in white… it doesn’t blend into the Â snow. This morning now marks the SECOND time that someone has parked their car strategically in front of my garage without leaving as much as a note with their phone number on the dashboard. The first car to do this was an Audi A4 (a “beginner” luxury car in the States), the second car was a Toyota Prado… both fitze cars here. With this fitzeness comes the added dose of arrogance. “I don’t care about anyone but myself… so I can park where I want when I want…. and nobody can tell my Nike Jumpsuit ass anything else”. Well.. lets just say that on this morning they received a gift they’ll remember fr a long time:

There are two methods to getting a car towed here in Bucharest (three if you have a big truck and a chain). The first is to flip through the directories and call a private towing service. They’ll ask you for all your information, as well as the information of the car you wish to have towed. Why your information? So they can get paid of course… if they are “unable” to get an “acceptable” amount of money out of the actual violator! Yes indeed… you as the “victim” of double parking or blockage may actually have to pay the driver or service that removes the problem vehicle for you. So here it is.. if you call a private company, there is no promises that you may not have to come up with a few hundred ron to have them move a car for you!

The second option? The police actually have a line that rings to their governmental towing agency. This department has a unique way of dealing with problem vehicles that only costs the violator, not the person calling in (you may have seen these trucks recently surrounding Zara at Unirii, they have been removing a lot of cars there lately). When you call this, you give them your name, and a contact number for you, but then immediately they focus their concern on the violating vehicle. You’ll need the color, make, model, as well as tag number. Once you give this to them, expect everything to happen quickly (rapid response is how they make their money on this one)! Within ten minutes (the units are dispatched by sector and zone) you’ll see two dark sedans block in the violating car. Next, they will adjust the cameras on the front windscreen of their cars to photograph the car, it’s parking position, the time and date, and the tag number. It is at this point that the person has “passed the point of no return” for receiving a parking violation. Once this is done, the flatbed truck is right around the corner ready to lift the car out of the way if the driver has not shown up. (the police will call the phone number on file with the tag as well to “prompt” the driver to come pay up now). All in all it’s a great show. If we all pitch in and have some cars towed I think Bucharest will be a better place! Want the phone number to get started now? Here it is: 021 9544

The Pickpockets Have Arrived

Bucharest Expat — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:54:47 +0000

Happy Holidays. To all the “five finger discount” shoppers out there. We at the Bucharest Expat wish to remind you of a prior post… about a friend of ours who lost his very, very expensive camera to a thief. Well, just recently another friend of ours had his wallet pulled from his coat pocket while it was resting on a chair. Not only is there a possibility that thisÂ could happen to you, but it WILL if you are not careful

It has been on the news quite a lot recently as well as in the newspaper. The petty criminals are TARGETING Romania this holiday season due to the growing (which is in question) expat population in Bucharest, especially during the holiday season. It is almost dead-on accurate in the assumption that expats carry more cash and valuables on them. Stop doing this! At least for now. Simple rules again that we all know:

Wallets in front pockets

Purses in front or on your lap

Keep an eye on your goods when dining or sitting

If you have to wear your Rolex, understand that you are just advertising

Don’t keep ANYthing into your vehicle. Period. If you have a removable face on your stereo.. it’s better for you to remove it than the fellow that just smashed your window.

Keep an eye on your housekeeper, property manager, anyone with access to your apartment or hotel. Or call us and see what we have available to help.

Be Smart! Live. Learn. Bucharest.

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Seeing Blue

Bucharest Expat — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:28:43 +0000

We’ve all seen the “important people” parades of three or four police cars sandwiching a dark Mercedes Benz or BMW, with blue strobe lights on the dashboard, tinted windows, and the unique ability to stop traffic and meander on through traffic signals no matter the color… or the “CD” light blue colored diplomatic plates that catch your eye as they sneak past you at an intersection… but here’s a new twist for you:

While driving down Victoriei on my way to the Regilor this evening, I was being severely tailgated by a car.. It irritated me more than ever before in this instance for some strange reason, so I progressively slowed down more and more (first in an effort to let them pass me, but then in a more enjoyable effort to tick them off). It was after a “sudden decline in acceleration” on my part that I saw it…. the now flashing blue dashboard strobe light. Ooops. Get the photo copied passport out and the “stupid American” accent… I just angered the wrong person. As they whipped around the side of my car and began to overtake me, it was then when I noticed (to my pleasant surprise) that the “important person” was actually a teenager joyriding in a Dacia Logan with a flashing blue light inside the car.

Moral of the story? Who the f*#k knows….

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Don’t Worry About Driving Style

Bucharest Expat — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:48:21 +0000

When driving you’ll be sure to notice the horn-honking and headlight-flashing that goes on almost on a regular basis. This is not something to really be overly concerned with, because like motorists in other countries, Romanians feel a great sense of security and almost invincibility behind the wheel (especially if it’s a fancy wheel). No matter what they do, they probably won’t run in to you, as when you have an accident (illegal) all parties involved must take the drive to the local police station, where they will be greeted with hours of paperwork and waiting around. Nobody really wants to do that. When your going straight at an intersection and the person in the left lane is trying to drive through you to turn right, just be aware, but don’t freak out… they probably won’t hit you, just intimidate you. The horn honking? They are either having a bad day, or the traffic light you can’t see just turned green 1/1,000 of a second ago….so you should be well under way by now. If you think you’re doing something wrong while driving, forget about it…. just laugh. Ignore all the other B.S. and just get where you need to go. As long as you don’t drink and drive, crash in to something, speed through the villages, and wear your seat belt, then you’ll be just fine.

Aggressive Driving

Bucharest Expat — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:58:33 +0000

Ok everyone, here is a chance to comment with your “driving stories”…

The ability for a foreigner to come to Bucharest and “get away with almost anything” while driving has virtually come and gone. New laws and traffic cams, and stricter Politia (rutiera, or road police) have drastically cut down your chances of “video game-esque” driving techniques. But that doesn’t mean that people still aren’t out there being crazy! Watch out for American plates, as they think they are super-human with Godly status enabled wherever they go. Keep a close eye out for the “new rich” in their BMW, Audi, or Mercedes, pseudo-luxury “look at me” vehicles, as their newly found, however short term wealth, obviously doesn’t include an education in the laws of physics. So what’s your story? You know you have one….

The Invincible Pedestrian