A Lexus RX400h car worth 1.3 million rubles (more than $43,000) has been stolen from a St. Petersburg traffic police officer, the Operativnoye Prikritiye news agency has said.

The car was reportedly stolen in the northwest part of Russia's second largest city on Wednesday. According to the 31-year-old road police officer, who reported the theft to police, the car was equipped with a satellite car alarm system.

The news agency said the jeep was officially owned by a 31-year-old unemployed resident of a city's suburb of Gatchina.

This is yet another case of a luxury car being stolen from a Russian police officer.

In November 2009, a Lexus RX 330 car worth 1 million rubles (more than $33,000) was stolen from a 32-year-old St. Petersburg traffic police officer.

In early December 2009, a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport car worth 800.000 rubles ($26,500) was stolen from another officer in St. Petersburg. The car was also equipped with a satellite car alarm system.

One more theft took place in Moscow in October last year, when a BMW X6 car was stolen from a 24-year-old traffic police officer.

On average, a Russian police officer earns about 7,000 rubles ($245) a month. For comparison's sake, a loaf of bread costs 15 rubles ($0.5), and regular gasoline $3.5 per gallon.

Low wages are thought to be one of the causes of corruption in the Russian law enforcement system.

A series of scandals involving police in 2009 culminated in a decree by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordering a major overhaul of the Interior Ministry, with personnel cuts of 20% over two years to be balanced by higher salaries for remaining staff.

MOSCOW, February 5 (RIA Novosti)