No action against dog catcher over incident with senior citizen, says MBPJ

NO action will be taken against a Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) officer who allegedly roughed up a senior citizen during a recent operation to catch stray dogs.

In a statement on Tuesday (April 11), MBPJ said the incident was found to be unintentional.

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“The equipment used to catch strays accidentally hit the complainant's face during an altercation.

“MBPJ leaves it to the police for a more transparent investigation and will not protect any personnel involved in wrongdoing,” it added.

The council’s statement concerned a recent controversy involving its personnel during an operation to catch strays.

In a video that went viral last month, a confrontation was seen between MBPJ enforcement personnel and a senior citizen, who was protecting the dogs from capture.

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The incident reportedly took place at Taman Kanagapuram in Jalan Klang Lama, Petaling Jaya, on March 23.

The senior citizen, identified as Patrick Khoo, 69, has since been charged with obstructing civil servants from carrying out their duties.

If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to two years or a maximum fine of RM10,000 or both, under Section 186 of the Penal Code.

Khoo has claimed trial.

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MBPJ added in its statement that the operation was carried out in response to complaints on Feb 25 and March 20 from an area resident.

It said from 2020 to March this year, a total of 16 complaints about strays were received in Taman Kanagapuram.

“In that period, 12 operations were conducted with 39 stray dogs captured,” it added.

MBPJ said an internal investigation conducted after the incident came up with several recommendations to improve stray-catching operations.

They include the use of body cameras by enforcement personnel and inviting animal activists and local residents along to ensure transparency.

“Photos will also be taken during the operation for... the higher-ups and police,” it added.