Police ready to conduct house-to-house SOP checks during Aidilfitri

IPOH, April 21 -- The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is prepared to conduct house-to-house inspections in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations to ensure there are no unapproved cases of interstate travel.

Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Seri Abd Rahim Jaafar said the same strategy is expected to be improved and used as the interstate travel ban is still enforced currently.

"We will conduct inspections on whether they have approval letters to travel. Inspections will be done according to several aspects, including the number of vehicles at a certain house,” he said.

He made the comments at a media conference after launching the book ‘69 Komando: Lahad Datu Mac 2013’ at the Ulu Kinta General Operations Force (GOF) North Brigade Camp today.

Last year, Senior Minister (Security cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was reported to have said that police would conduct house-to-house inspections during Aidilfitri celebrations and if there were a lot of vehicles, the police would carry out checks.

Abd Rahim said the police did not rule out the possibility that individuals might travel between states without approval and take opportunity of situations such as heavy rain at roadblocks.

"They might get through. Sometimes it’s not because of their letters but because they’re lucky when there is a heavy rain and the relaxation could be exploited in that sense. 

"Our personnel might not be on duty during heavy rain because it endangers them so they have to seek shelter. That is when they make their moves,” he explained.

In other developments, he announced that they are making preparations for an additional brigade in Sabah and a battalion in Sarawak, including personnel accommodation and office space before they are stationed at the new camps.

"We would also like to add personnel at the VAT69 Commando team camp here which is expected to be completed in June next year,” he said.

He said the plan to increase VAT69 commando strength from 692 personnel to almost 1,000 will be tabled before the police top management and the Home Ministry.

-- BERNAMA