JOHOR BARU – Local authority enforcement officers in Johor will be equipped with body cameras to further improve enforcement quality in the field.
State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said for a start, 20 body cameras worth RM15,000 will be used by Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) enforcers in a pilot project.
“For phase one, we will implement the use of 20 body cameras in October after a workshop to coordinate the standard operating procedures, involving all 16 local authorities, is held,” he said.
Jafni said this after launching the publicity and public participation programme for the 2035 Sg Tebrau Special Area Draft Plan here today.
He said body cameras can be used to record littering offences, especially culprits who try to evade admission.
Meanwhile, Jafni said the state government spent RM1.03 million last year to clean up Sg Tebrau, which was recorded as the 53rd dirtiest river in the world for effluent dumping by the non-governmental organisation Ocean Cleanup in 2021.
He said the state government is actively cleaning up and carrying out various plans, including a 11-year plan to improve the quality of the fourth-class river.
“Our target within 11 years is to turn Sg Tebrau into a second-class river.
“That is why we are holding a publicity and public participation programme, which includes getting feedback and suggestions from industry players and residents for development, thereby improving the quality of the river with their cooperation,” he said.
Jafni noted that one of the factors behind the river’s pollution is the slum settlements lined along the river, adding that the state government is working to reorganise the 54 slum settlements dotting the riverbank. – Bernama, July 13, 2023
