B.S., a 34-year-old from Skopje, got a fine for a traffic offence. His response, according to the Interior Ministry, was a phone call full of threats to the police officer who issued it.

The call came on 29 September. The officer reported it, and the very next day, 30 September at 15:40, officers from the Violent Crime Unit of the Skopje Interior Affairs Sector took him into custody. Once the case is fully documented, police say, the appropriate charge will be filed.

The bulletin leaves out one thing that is no small detail: how did the call reach the officer - on an official number or a personal one? If a driver who just got fined can easily find the phone number of the traffic cop who wrote the ticket, that is a question for the ministry, not just for the angry driver.

A fine can be paid. It can be challenged before the proper authority. A threat is neither. This time it ended in handcuffs.