KUANTAN: There will be no holiday for some 300 traffic policemen across Pahang as they have been placed on duty during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations next week.
Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the officers from the district Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department had their leave frozen to ensure smooth traffic flow during the festive holidays.
"Traffic policemen at all 11 districts in Pahang will be involved in Op Selamat between April 8 and April 13. We need them to be on standby to ensure the safety of road users before, during and after Aidilfitri.
"The traffic volume on all major roads in Pahang will increase in stages starting today as people will return to their respective hometowns. Since today is the last day of school before the holidays, some will start their 'balik kampung' journey early," he told reporters during the state-level Op Selamat campaign at Jalan Kuantan-Kuantan here.
Meanwhile, on police patrol along the Central Spine Road (CSR) which has no rest stops or petrol stations, Yahaya said the district police headquarters would deploy their mobile patrol vehicles to monitor the stretch.
"The CSR passes through Bentong, Raub and Lipis so each district will assign their MPV teams to conduct regular checks along the stretch especially during the night. The police highway patrol unit will monitor the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway and the East Coast Expressway," he said.
Yahaya said police had identified 31 "black spots" (accident-prone areas) in Pahang and cautioned road users to take extra precautions when returning to their hometowns for the Aidilfitri celebrations.
He said the accident prone roads included Jalan Kuantan-Segamat near here and other Federal roads in the west side of Pahang.