KUALA LUMPUR – The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) on vehicle number plates can help authorities detect criminal activities, says former police chief Tan Sri Musa Hassan.
In a brief Twitter post, the former police inspector-general said the matter had been proposed while he was in service.
“It can prevent crime and trace those involved in crime,” Musa said on the microblogging site today.
“Plate numbers must be issued by the authorities and not regular shops.”
https://t.co/eQLTZKzZ4Z pernah dicadangkan masa saya berkhidmat. Ia boleh mencegah jenayah dan juga mengesan mereka yang melakukan jenayah. Nombor plate harus dikeluarkan oleh pihak berwajib dan bukan dikedai2 biasa.
— Musa Hassan (@TSMusaHassan) February 1, 2022
Musa was responding to an announcement by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, who, on January 27, said that the Road and Transport Department (RTD) was looking to reduce the price of RFID stickers for electronic toll payments on highways.
According to Free Malaysia Today, Wee said the RTD was studying new technology for vehicle identification, which included RFID tags, QR codes, and other chips.
This is part of the department's proposed digitalisation plan.
The plan also comes ahead of the proposal to implement the multi-lane free flow tolls along Malaysian highways by 2025, a move coordinated by the ministry and the Malaysian Highway Authority.
Wee also said the RFID system will ensure automated and accurate readings of vehicle registrations by authorities while reducing costs.
RFID toll gates have recently received public criticism for causing traffic jams due to issues with the system.
The government has also recently asked PLUS Malaysia Bhd and Touch ‘n Go Sdn Bhd (TnG) to justify the RM35 price tag for each RFID sticker after several quarters – including former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak – claimed the tag costs at least 10 times less.
Touch ‘n Go (TnG) and SmartTAG lanes were supposed to be eventually phased out to allow for the opening of more RFID lanes along highways operated by PLUS.
Recently, drivers at the Sg Besi, Bandar Seri Putra, and Subang toll plazas were stuck in traffic standstills, which started at 7am and lasted into the evening rush hour.
Following the public backlash against the RFID implementation system, PLUS reinstated 16 toll plazas with 19 Touch ‘n Go lanes into SmartTAG lanes on January 25.
The operator said another 18 toll plazas will convert their 24 lanes into SmartTAG lanes from February 19 onwards.
On December 16, the government had announced that the RFID system would begin operating at all toll plazas at the Juru-Skudai stretch of the North-South Expressway on January 15. – The Vibes, February 1, 2022
