PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK)Selangor state deputy police chief Arjunaidi Mohamed said on Thursday (April 16) that his men will handcuff those found violating the movement curbs, after warnings and summonses failed to deter some people from leaving their homes.
Malaysia on Thursday is into its 30th day of the movement control order (MCO), with the third phaseconsisting of two weeksstarting on Wednesday.
"We will no longer warn and give advice. Now we will arrest those who defy the MCO.
"Several have asked why we're not using the soft approach by just warning people, however, we've been letting people off with warnings and advice.
"I think it is enough already; now is the time to act," Deputy Commissioner Arjunaidi told reporters after launching the Aberdeen Patrol System at the Damansara police station.
The Aberdeen Patrol System is one in which a police vehicle would drop off some personnel to patrol an area to patrol on foot, move on to another area, and then come back to be picked up afterwards.
When asked about the MCO compliance rate in Selangor in recent days, he said that within the last 24 hours alone, police have arrested 316 people for defying the order.
"Since the MCO was announced (on March 18), we've arrested 2,255 individuals for various offences, including obstructing a public servant.
"And 1,050 of these individuals have been charged in court, including 93 on Wednesday itself," he said.
Malaysians have been ordered to stay at home during the MCO that started on March 18.
Only essential service workers are allowed to leave their homes.
Those buying groceries and food can travel only within 10km of their home addresses.
Meanwhile, Petaling Jaya district police chief Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal said that in the last three days, MCO compliance had dropped to 80 per cent.
"We noticed the drop this week compared with the 90 per cent compliance rate previously. People need to know the battle is not over. Don't take it lightly. We all need to do our part and stay home," he said.
Datuk Arjunaidi said he hoped the Aberdeen Patrol System would be more effective and lead to more efficient work.
"We will study the system in use here and decide if we're going to introduce it to other districts," he said.
He added that these patrols would be done in six-hour shifts, and policemen would patrol on foot on an hourly basis.
"They will focus on places where people gather such as markets and commercial areas," he said.