ALL the OCPDs in Penang have been instructed to form special teams to patrol residential areas where there are houses that will be left vacant when the occupants balik kampung for Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

State deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Abdul Rahim Jaafar said that the police wanted to stop rampant house break-ins during the festive season and this move was to enable people to travel with peace of mind.

“Those travelling out of town are urged to contact their nearest police station so that patrolling can be carried out in their neighbourhood,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after the Ops Selamat Campaign in conjunction with the coming Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations at the Juru Toll Plaza yesterday.

SAC Abdul Rahim said people could fill up a form to tell the police when they would be away.

The form can be downloaded from the Royal Malaysian Police website.

He also said there were fewer road accidents in the state be-tween January and July this year compared to the same period last year.

“There were 37,158 cases in 2011 during the same period and only 21,984 cases this year.

“As such, there is a difference of 15,174 cases,” he added.

SAC Abdul Rahim said there were only 220 cases involving fatalities between January and July this year compared to 392 cases last year.

He said police would monitor three ‘black spots’ or accident-prone areas in the state — Jalan Baru in Prai, Jalan Chain Ferry and the Penang Bridge.

He said Ops Selamat, a joint initiative of various agencies such as the police, Road Transport Depart- ment and Civil Defence Department, would end on Aug 26.

“All the agencies will work together to ensure that the public feel safe,” he added.

Source: The Star