A few years ago, the French police published a video on their social media channels, in which a police control was taking place, a checkpoint, and a motorist shared the information publicly so as to warn other of the presence of the police. However, as the story unfolds, we are shown how a child had been kidnapped, and that was the reason for the checkpoint, and although the offending driver got perilously close to being caught, and the girl rescued, because of the timely warning of the presence of the police, the kidnapper was able to avoid the area and continue the terrifying ordeal for the young victim.
The point of the video was to advise everyone, through a potential real-world situation, of one of the reasons why you should never warn anyone of a police control, and moreover, in Spain, you could land yourself in a lot of trouble if you do.
The fact is, whether it be the police or Guardia Civil, any of the security services for that matter, these checkpoints aim to focus the attention on those committing offences, and, as such, if you are doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about. Moreover, for the majority of those law-abiding citizens, you will be sent on your way in the minimal amount of time.
Reporting a police check can be considered among many drivers as a sign of camaraderie and belonging to a group to avoid sanctions. But it is also possible to become an infraction for collaboration in possible crimes and even for using images and personal or professional data of authorities or members of the Security Forces and Corps, which is strictly prohibited.
Sanctions and repercussions are set to get harsher too, as the DGT is already working on ore measures to deal with the sharing of such information, which is often done through WhatsApp and similar applications.
However, action is being taken now, even before these harsher penalties. In Galicia, for example, a company which managed an application where information was shared has been sanctioned. It’s not only companies however, the individual administrator of a WhatsApp group with 15,000 members has also been sanctioned.
So, for the good of your own wallet, never warn of checkpoints, and, more importantly, for the ethic reason that these checkpoints are designed to catch out those who are doing wrong, and whereas a child kidnapping might be an unusual activity, even stopping those who have consumed alcohol or drugs makes the roads safer for all.
