Cover image via NSTP
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Every festive season, we hear about police officers having their leave frozen
Kuala Lumpur Deputy Chief of the Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department (Operations), ACP Foo Chek Sen, said it's mainly due to Malaysians' poor road safety mindset.
He said many Malaysians tend to take traffic rules lightly.
"The main issue, frankly, is our mindset. Accidents happen, people die or get injured on the road, but the thought is: it's not me.
"Enforcement exists, but I'm not caught. That sense of 'I am safe' is the main problem," he said.
Foo was speaking at a forum organised by the Vehicle Theft and Accident Reduction Council of Malaysia (VTAREC), yesterday, 12 March.
ACP Foo Chek Sen (far right), said many Malaysians tend to take traffic rules lightly.
Image via Aliza ShahHe said changing this mindset is not easy. Since October last year, Kuala Lumpur police have been cracking down hard on traffic offences.
"People ask why we focus on minor offences rather than serious crimes.
"If you can't obey simple traffic rules, how can you be expected to follow more serious laws?" he said, adding that the goal is to instil a culture of respect for the law, starting with minor traffic rules.
So, how does our poor mindset have to do with police leave being frozen?
Foo noted that many city dwellers only obey the laws when officers are present.
This, he said, is also why police officers have their leave frozen during festive seasons.
"They (traffic officers) cannot take leave, and it's unfortunate, but human behaviour demands it.
"Our community still wants to see officers on the road.
"Back in the day, we called it Op Pacak, where we placed officers along highways. Then came Op Sikap, and now Op Selamat.
"We deploy officers to remind the people of 'safety first'," he added.
Foo was speaking at a forum organised by the Vehicle Theft and Accident Reduction Council of Malaysia (VTAREC) on 12 March. VTAREC coordinator Mas Tina Abdul Hamid delivered the opening speech.
Image via Aliza ShahThe history of Op Pacak
It was launched after police were alarmed by 91 road fatalities recorded in the first five days of the school holidays, starting 1 December 1996.
The death toll rose to 163 by 5 December.
A 15-day trial of the operation on 1 December that year appeared to yield positive results, with 7,671 accident reports recorded compared with 16,090 cases the previous month.
During that period, 1,141 traffic cops were deployed to about 500 locations along federal and state roads, contributing to a sharp drop in fatal accidents.
