Visiting JB? You'll be safe, says Johor police
chief
By Nur Dianah Suhaimi
Welcome to Johor Baru. There is no need to fear for your
safety.
This assurance comes from Datuk Mokhtar Shariff, who became
Johor police chief in January this year.
'We are doing aggressive policing so there's no need for
Singaporeans to be afraid,' he told The Sunday Times in an
exclusive interview last week.
At least 60,000 Singaporeans visit Johor Baru (JB) each day and
while the majority of visits are incident-free, a few recent
high-profile ones have made some Singaporeans wary about going
across the Causeway.
Three weeks ago, a group of Ferrari and Maserati owners from
Singapore found themselves the target of highway robbers while
driving in a convoy to Genting Highlands.
680m
The amount in ringgit that the Malaysian government has pumped into
building infrastructure and buying state-of-the-art equipment for
the Johor police.
340,000
The number of Singaporean drivers who have not paid their traffic
fines in Malaysia.
34
The number of Singaporeans caught for drug-related offences in
Johor this year. Twelve were caught for drug trafficking.
643
The number of officers who joined the Johor police this year. They
hope to recruit 2,000 in the next few years.
100
The number of police patrol cars on JB roads at any one time.
60,000
The estimated number of Singaporeans who travel to Johor Baru each
day.
256
The number of Singaporeans who were victims of crime in Johor this
year.
177
The number of Singaporeans whose motorcycles were stolen in Johor
this year.
Since Datuk Mokhtar came on board in January, the deputy
commissioner has introduced initiatives such as:
- A 24-hour hotline manned by an assistant superintendent for
Singaporeans in distress;
- A website, www.polisjohor.gov. my, for
Singaporeans to give feedback;
- A mobile police station near the Causeway;
- More policemen, in uniform and plainclothes, at shopping places
favoured by Singaporeans in Johor Baru.
Next month, he plans to send his men to distribute fliers about the
hotline - 07-2212999 - to Singaporeans at the Causeway.
'Each day, 60,000 Singaporeans come to JB. We want to make sure
they feel secure and return again because they bring in money to
the state,' said Datuk Mokhtar, 50, at the Johor police
headquarters last Wednesday.
The Malaysian government also does not want security issues to
hinder the development of an economic corridor called Iskandar
Malaysia, 45 minutes from Tuas in Singapore.
Iskandar Malaysia, formerly known as the Iskandar Development
Region, is a grand plan to turn 2,200 sq km of the southern state
of Johor into an industrial and tourist zone.
It aims to leverage on its lower costs and proximity to Singapore
and plans to attract RM20 billion (S$8.3 billion) in investments by
2010.
To woo investors, the Malaysian government has pumped in some RM680
million this year to strengthen Johor's policing infrastructure,
said Datuk Mokhtar.
The money has paid for an additional 643 policemen, 500 patrol
cars, 143 police motorcycles and, for the first time, two
helicopters which will do sky patrols.
The Iskandar region will have three police district
headquarters.
Datuk Mokhtar believed that Singaporeans' negative impression of
the crime situation in Johor stemmed from bad press.
'Dangerous places are war zones like Afghanistan or Iraq. But JB is
not like that. In reality, we are one of the three states in the
country which brought down crime last year,' he said.
The crime rate in Johor dipped by 0.55 per cent last year. He
admitted this was a small figure but was a start nonetheless. The
rate for solving crime cases is 40.8 per cent, he added.
Of the 256 crimes reported by Singaporeans in Johor from January to
August this year, 177 cases - or 69 per cent - involved motorcycle
theft. Snatch, vehicle and petty thefts made up the rest.
Datuk Mokhtar acknowledged the need to weed out corruption within
the police force.
Two months ago, RM1 million worth of drugs went missing from the
Johor police headquarters while 60 officers were on duty. Four
policemen and 15 civilians were arrested for the theft in less than
two weeks.
'We are perturbed this happened. But we are not crying over spilt
milk. We have learnt from this incident,' he said.
In the first six months of this year, 120 Johor policemen were
taken to task for various disciplinary reasons, he said.
He revealed that his men are checked for any extra cash in their
possession before and after their work shift.
Since July this year, 12 religious leaders have also been seconded
to the police to warn officers about the evils of corruption.
'There are only a handful of crooked policemen but we understand
that the police job has its temptations. These men face many
challenges daily,' he said.
The force, he said, needs information to act on errant officers.
Just post the date, time and location of the incident on the Johor
police website.
'There will be no compromise for these officers. We need to show
that we're in control,' he said.
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Would U take the Johor
police chief word "You'll be safe in JB" ???
