KULAI – Inspections at police roadblocks in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri have been tightened, in view of many tricks used by members of the public in attempts to return to their hometowns for the holidays, said Bukit Aman internal security and public order department director Datuk Seri Abd Rahim Jaafar.
He said that police understood the sentiment of those who had to line up or be stuck for two to three hours at roadblocks, but said that the move was necessary to ensure that the government’s directives to break the Covid-19 infection chain were successful.
“We do not want anyone to slip past or lie to us at roadblocks, because people are using various tactics now, showing us all sorts of letters.
“For instance, using a work pass to go home. One day at the roadblock in Bentong (Pahang), a van carrying 15 people claimed to be heading to Terengganu for work, but when we checked further, it turned out they were using work passes to go back to their hometowns for the holidays.
“Things like this are occurring now. The public is trying their hardest, using various tactics,” he said during the Op Kontraban press conference today.
Rahim said this when asked about the possibility of confrontations between motorists and police occurring due to severe traffic congestion at roadblocks, some of which went viral on social media recently.
He also said that police had issued over 100,000 compounds since March 18 last year for various violations of the standard operating procedures and related laws.
“The majority of compounds issued were related to not wearing face masks and not practising physical distancing. Currently, SOP compliance operations are more focused on nightclubs that have reopened,” he said. – Bernama, May 12, 2021
