Police must give priority to emergency vehicles like ambulances, says Home Ministry

KUALA LUMPUR: Police in charge of traffic control must prioritise and give way to emergency vehicles such as ambulances and Fire and Rescue vehicles, says the Home Ministry in a parliamentary reply.

This was in response to a question by RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) who asked the Home Minister to state the reason that the delegation of the Prime Minister’s security escorts and vehicles were given priority to pass as opposed to an ambulance carrying a patient.

The Home Ministry said that Section 21 of the Police Act 1967 provides that police officers are empowered to organise, control and divert any traffic including on public roads while carrying out security escort duties.

In ensuring the level of security is at the highest level, escort officers will act in accordance with the provisions under Section 21 of the Police Act 1967, said the Home Ministry.

“The elements of the police are organised according to the level of safety required such as escorting hazardous materials, explosives, firearms, prisoners, dignitaries, vaccines and others in accordance with established guidelines,” said the Ministry

“Nevertheless, police officers in charge of traffic control must immediately give priority and route to emergency vehicles such as ambulances and Fire and Rescue Department vehicles as stipulated in Rule Nine, Road Traffic Rules 1959,” it added in a written parliamentary reply on Wednesday (March 9).

On March 7, North Johor Bahru OCPD Asst Comm Rupiah Abd Wahid said that the ambulance was stopped on Jalan Danga Bay while it was travelling towards the direction of Skudai.

This came following a viral 46-second video of police officers stopping an ambulance to allow Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's convoy passing through a road in Johor Bahru to pass.

Rupiah explained that the ambulance was stopped for "30 seconds only" to avoid the risk of a collision and that officers at the scene had thought about all the safety precautions, adding that the convoy had arrived at a merging junction earlier than the ambulance.