A software malfunction is preventing police carrying out traffic checks from accessing information on drivers who have already been sentenced to long term driving bans, reports Belgian media.
A year and a half ago, a database was launched which linked driving licences to convictions, so that serious traffic offenders could be taken off the roads.
Due to a missing piece of software, these convicted drivers will get likely past every police check without revealing their history.
Minister of Justice Koen Greens reportedly sent a recent letter to the police asking “when the necessary investments will be made to receive and read the data."
The creation of the database came after police complained that they were pronouncing several driving bans for offenders who had already received bans in the past.
Federal Mobility and Justice authorities created the Mercury database in order to combat the problem.
The databased linked the court’s data of offending drivers, to a database of driving licences and number plates. By coupling this information together, the police could immediately spot who was illegally driving.
However, almost a year and a half after its launch, the police are still being denied access to the Mercury database. The federal police are responsible for the technical development or the purchasing of the software, but due to “a missing piece of software” this has not happened yet.
Madeleine Fletcher
The Brussels Times
