Op Selamat: Sarawak Police Deploy 850 Personnel In Conjunction With CNY Celebration

KUCHING, Feb 12 (Bernama) -- Sarawak police will deploy 850 personnel statewide from Feb 15-20 through Op Selamat, in conjunction with the Chinese New Year (CNY) celebration, to strengthen enforcement and reduce the rate of road accidents.

Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said the move is taken following an increase of 17 fatal accident cases from Jan 1 to Feb 11 this year, compared to last year, with driver negligence one of the main causes.

"So, this is extremely worrying for us. If we look at last year, Op Selamat in Sarawak managed to reduce the number of fatal accident cases. As such, we hope that the operation can reduce the number of road accidents and fatalities.

"The increase from 32 to 49 fatal accident cases is mainly due to the carelessness of drivers. There are a few cases due to uneven road conditions, but mostly it is due to human negligence,” he told reporters after officiating the launch of Op Selamat in conjunction with this year's Chinese New Year celebration here today.

He added that police have also identified 85 hotspots statewide, especially in major cities like Kuching, Sibu and Bintulu, for traffic monitoring and control purposes.

He also advised the public to drive carefully during the long Chinese New Year holiday period and to stop and rest if they are tired.

-- BERNAMA