A filepic shows an enforcement officer with a recording device.
SUGGESTIONS for more enforcement teams to use body cameras among Selangor’s local councils will be taken into consideration.
State local government and tourism committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim said this could be implemented in stages based on each council’s budget.
“The body cameras will allow checks and balances on the enforcement teams, and can help address conflicts and misunderstanding.
“We will check which local council has the budget, as well as the pros and cons.
Suee Lim: Body cameras allow checks and balances.
“I am unable to make ad-hoc decisions (at the moment).
“In January or February, I will have a meeting with local councils and we will see what we can do,” Suee Lim said during a briefing on the assessment tax rates at Wisma Dewan Negeri Selangor in Shah Alam, Selangor.
He was responding to allegations by a local artiste who claimed she was filmed by a Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ) officer when she was in a state of partial undress during a raid by the local authority.
“I would like to apologise for the incident that happened; there were some weaknesses, a mistake or misunderstanding took place.
“We don’t have a clear standard operating procedure (SOP) on how enforcement operations should be carried out.
“In this particular case, the operation was carried out on a massage parlour that did not have a valid licence.
“I will try to address the situation accordingly and take action to reduce similar incidents from happening again,” he added.
The artiste had posted about the incident on social media and demanded an apology from the city council.
She also wanted MBSJ to issue a statement on the SOP for operations at such establishments.
Last Saturday, Subang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Wan Azlan Wan Mamat had said that the raiding team was provoked during the incident, and the artiste had failed to comply with instructions when asked for identification.
Both the MBSJ officer and the artiste lodged police reports after the incident went viral on social media.
In January last year, state executive councillor Ng Sze Han, who was then Selangor local government committee chairman, had announced that local authorities with enforcement teams equipped with body cameras had fewer altercations with the public.
He had said that the most significant change was that there had been fewer arguments between the officers and the public when enforcement officers wore body cameras.
At present, only a few local authorities in the state have introduced body cameras for their enforcement personnel, as their use is limited due to cost factors.
