[jeaccatty]

Friday March 9, 2012

Hisham: 14,700 men to be deployed in KL, Selangor, Johor and Penang

PUTRAJAYA: Police will step up their presence in four states in the battle against vice in “hotspot locations”.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the force would deploy an additional 14,739 men on patrol in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor and Penang.

This will bring the total to 31,900 policemen on duty in the four states this year. “The total includes the 17,161 who were sent to serve in these areas last year.



Another 24,000 officers have been deployed to patrol in the other 10 states. - DATUK SERI HISHAMMUDDIN HUSSEIN

“Another 24,000 officers and auxiliary police have been deployed to patrol in the other 10 states that do not belong to the hotspot category,”

Hishammuddin said in a statement yesterday. Malaysia has also been ranked as the 19th safest country in the world from a list of 153 countries, up from 26th position in 2009 in the Global Peace Index 2011.

The new ranking puts the country as the safest among its South-East Asian counterparts.

Hishammuddin’s statement came following Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s remarks on Wednesday commending the police and local authorities in reducing the crime rate nationwide.

“We will also intensify the community policing programme to include the participation of the community in crime prevention."

“This includes four-personnel patrol teams in the four hotspot states, Sabah and Sarawak, where the police will conduct patrols with members of Rela and the Malaysian Civil Defence Department,” said Hishammuddin.

He said the force would not slacken in its commitment to ensure peace in the country.