Police officers in Bulgaria will from now on have to show how much money they are carrying before they go on duty. If they have more money afterwards, they will have to explain why. The move is designed to make it harder for officers such as traffic police and detectives to accept bribes.

It is reasonably usual for Bulgarians to bribe their way out of paying fines. Honest officers who refuse to go along with the corruption can sometimes end up facing anonymous accusations of taking bribes. The interior ministry hopes the new measure will also protect innocent officers from wrongful allegations of corruption.

Bulgaria has the reputation of being one of the most corrupt countries in Europe and the new government is attempting to change this.

Photos: anti-police graffiti (flickr/kinoun) and Bulgarian police car (flickr/pupuduk)