MASRIWANIE MUHAMADING
ALOR STAR: Employers are advised to give their full cooperation with the traffic police as they make rounds to office premises to arrest those with outstanding summonses and issue arrest warrants.
Kota Setar traffic enforcement officer Othman Abdullah said as of this evening, the district traffic police have checked 13 premises (including yesterday) but could only make two arrests as most of the employers were not cooperative.
"The employers gave the excuse that the people we were looking for are no longer working with them, hence we cannot proceed to make an arrest.
"It is very disappointing if the employers are trying to protect those traffic offenders," said Othman.
He said police will however continue to hunt down those traffic offenders by finding their homes and working places based on the information provided by the National Registration Department (JPN) and Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
"As of today (May 20), we managed to arrest four people through roadblocks.
"Among those arrested include a 76-year-old who were found to have been riding a motorcycle without a licence and issued two arrest warrants and a 20-year-old former oil smuggler who has 24 outstanding summonses and issued 20 arrest warrants of various offences since 2012," said Othman.
He added there were a total of 863 outstanding summonses in Kota Setar District alone this year and over a thousand for offenses committed within the last ten years from last year.
Othman was speaking to the media during a four-hour 'Ops Warta' roadblock at one of the roads in the city.