JOHOR BARU: The number of accidents in the state during the recent festive period have dropped compared to the same period last year.
Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Shariff said during Op Selamat 5, which was held from July 21 to Aug 4, 2,848 accidents were recorded in Johor, a decrease of 86 compared to 2,934 recorded during Op Selamat 3 last year.
“The number of fatal accidents also dropped during the period, with 24 cases recorded with 25 fatalities, compared to 45 cases with 48 fatalities last year,” said Mokhtar.
Johor’s police success in reducing the number of accidents have also been recognised by the Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and this achievement placed Johor police as the second best in the country.
“This success is achieved with the cooperation of all road users who are more aware of the importance of road safety and are practicing better driving habits.
“At the start of Op Selamat, I urged all road users to present a gift to all the police personnel who were on duty during the operation by driving safely so that they get to their destination safely. The reduction in the number of accidents is a gift to all police involved,” said Mokhtar.
He was speaking to the media after presenting certificates of appreciation to 179 police officers and personnel who were involved in Op Selamat and the Safe House Campaign at the Johor police headquarters here. Also present was his deputy Datuk Ismail Yatim.
For the Safe House Campaign, Mokhtar said 7,186 houses, which were left unattended by the owners during the festive period, were registered with the police.
“During the period, the police made 14,481 visits to these homes and none were broken into,” said Mokhtar.
In comparison, during the Safe House Campaign for Hari Raya Aidilfitri last year, 21,301 houses were registered and the police made 37,520 visits to these houses. None of the houses were involved in any criminal cases.