Riga municipal police explain unmarked car parked under bridge
After readers questioned why an unmarked police car was stationed under a Riga bridge, city police explained it stopped there due to a tyre malfunction, not for covert speed enforcement. The incident occurred on 16 July on Krasta iela.
On 10 August, iAuto.lv received reader-submitted photos alleging that police in Riga were parking an unmarked car under a bridge to catch speeding drivers covertly. The outlet forwarded the material to the Riga city municipality for comment.
In its reply, the Riga City Municipal Police (RVPP) explained that on 16 July, while driving along Krasta iela, an unmarked vehicle suffered an unexpected technical fault — a sudden drop in tyre pressure. The driver initially tried to reach a safe place to stop, but as the pressure kept falling to a critically low level, continuing to drive became unsafe, forcing an emergency stop.
Safety procedures followed
RVPP stressed that the stop was carried out in line with traffic regulations, with hazard lights activated and a warning triangle placed on the road. The department firmly denied that the vehicle was knowingly used with a pre-existing fault or that the technical issue was staged to conceal speed monitoring. According to the police, the tyre damage occurred during regular use and could not have been foreseen.
RVPP further noted that it does not routinely choose traffic-hazardous locations for speed enforcement, describing this particular case as an exceptional situation rather than a planned or approved method.
