Two sets of drunken police officers were briefly detained and released after a motorbike accident led to a roadside brawl in the capital’s Chbar Ampov district on Saturday night, local police said yesterday.

Ek Samron, deputy district police chief, said the accident occurred, ironically enough, when two allegedly drunk municipal traffic police officers ran their motorbike into another moto carrying three reportedly intoxicated immigration police officials at about 9:30pm.

“According to the immigration police, the Phnom Penh municipal traffic police were driving drunk and turned, running into their motorbike. They then got off their motorbike and fought with [the immigration police], so they fought them back,” Samron said

“The two couldn’t win over the three,” he added. “The three beat them up and they got seriously injured on their face and mouth.”

After locals reported the altercation to police, officers arrived on the scene and intervened, but all the parties were ultimately released after a “compromise”.

“We brought them to the station and educated them and solved the problem,” Samron said.