SECURITY: The patrol squads will consist of police officers and volunteers
IPOH: THE Perak police contingent recently launched a Night Watch patrol to make the streets safer for local citizens here after dark.
Launched at Taman Meru Permai here, the patrol squads will consist of police officers, Volunteer Patrolling Scheme (SRS) volunteers, and members of the local community.
The programme aims to prevent robberies, break-ins and other crimes committed after dark by relying on the public to relay information about suspicious going-ons in their neighbourhood.
The patrol was launched by state police chief Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, who said that public support was vital in the ongoing fight against crime.
“When it comes to fighting crime, the public must recognise how important it is to be alert and to cooperate with the police.
“The objective must be to reduce the opportunities for criminals to carry out their activities, and this can only be done in cooperation with the local community.
“We hope that the Night Watch programme will increase public participation and awareness to combat crime,” he said at the launch.
Acryl Sani said that five districts had already begun their night patrols, including Ipoh, Sungai Siput, Tapah, Tanjung Malim and Grik, adding that the programme would be implemented throughout Perak’s 10 remaining districts in the near future.
After the launch of the Night Watch patrol, Acryl Sani also launched the second phase of the Perak contingent’s Motorcycle Patrol Unit (URB), which involved 101 policemen on 250cc Kawasaki Ninja motorbikes.
The URB patrol will support the Night Watch patrol in its efforts to keep streets safe at night.
The first phase of the URB was launched on April 8 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, involving 85 250cc Kawasaki Ninja motorbikes.
Acryl Sani also handed out a number of accessories to the 15 SRS leaders, including fluorescent vests and jackets, flashlights, and whistles.
The programme also saw 15 retired policemen from each district appointed as Crime Prevention Excos for their districts.
The excos were appointed to to advise local resident associations on crime prevention, while also acting as the main catalyst in processing and sending crime-related information to the local police force.
They will be registered as Reserve Police officers under Section 52 of the 1967 Police Act.
Present at the event were state deputy police chief Datuk A. Paramasivam, state Consumer Affairs, Human Resources, Civil Society and NGOs Committee chairman Datuk Samsudin Abu Hassan and Manjoi assemblyman Mohamad Ziad Mohamed Zainal Abidin.
-NST
