Hanoi - Four Hanoi police officers were suspended from duty just hours after a local news website posted a video clip showing them taking bribes from motorists who had violated traffic laws, a police official said Monday.

The police department of Hanoi's Ba Dinh district suspended the four officers, members of the district's emergency response force, on Monday morning, according to Pham Van Binh, deputy chief of the department.

"We decided to suspend them for what they did and we have launched an investigation into the case," Binh said.

Earlier Monday morning, the news website VnExpress. com posted a video clip showing four policemen taking money from people who had violated traffic regulations before letting them go, without issuing traffic tickets or reporting the violations. The clip was filmed Friday, according to the website.

In the clip, the police are shown stopping motorbike drivers not wearing helmets or going the wrong direction on one-way streets. They then accept money from the drivers before letting them go.

The website said the motorbike drivers had paid the officers up to 300,000 dong (18 dollars) each.

According to Vietnamese traffic laws, riding the wrong way on a one-way street or failing to a wear a helmet when riding a motorbike is subject to a cash fine of 200,000 dong (12.5 dollars). Police can also seize violators' motorbikes for 30 days. (dpa)