Police withdraw 'nit-picking' ticket after public backlash

Traffic police in a northeast China city have withdrawn a ticket for "unclear license plates" after the penalty aroused widespread criticism.

A driver surnamed Chen in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, was fined 200 yuan (US$31) for “unclear license plates” on December 27, 2017, and the whole process was filmed by police and later aired on a TV channel to educate drivers about keeping their plates readable.

However, as shown in the video, Chen’s license plate was already crystal clear: the numbers were distinct and the plate was intact.

A traffic police officer still fined Chen with a lenient punishment, since Chen didn’t purposefully smear or hide his plate.

After the video was spread on the Internet, the penalty sparked overwhelming criticism from netizens who called the penalty "nit-picking" and "arbitrary."

Shenyang traffic police said Thursday evening that it was reversing the ticket against Chen and that the three traffic police involved were given warnings for their "excessive law enforcement."