Traffic police gear up for Singapore ‘invasion’

JOHOR BARU: Police have put measures in place in anticipation of tens of thousands of vehicles entering Johor from Singapore during the upcoming holiday season.

State police chief Comm Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said based on figures from the two Customs, Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) complexes here, about 70,000 people had entered Johor from Singapore daily since the border reopened on April 1.

“Maybe half of them came in their own vehicles – an estimated 35,000 vehicles coming in daily, and this is not even the full capacity of 400,000 daily commuters travelling across the border.

“Coupled with travellers coming from Kuala Lumpur and the northern states, we can expect heavy traffic and congestion in Johor Baru and other parts of Johor,” he said.

“We will also work with other related enforcement agencies such as city councils, and deploy police personnel to 30 traffic congestion and 41 accident hotspots in Johor to monitor the situation and ensure smooth traffic,” he added.

Comm Kamarul Zaman was speaking to reporters after launching Ops Selamat, which begins today until May 8 to combat break-ins and minimise traffic accidents in conjunction with the Labour Day and Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations, at the Skudai toll plaza here yesterday.

He also said Johor sees an average of about 200 traffic accidents with two deaths a day.

“A total of 432 police officers and personnel will be involved in Ops Selamat, including to monitor the deadliest road located in Batu Pahat,” he said.

“My advice to road users is simple – drive according to the road regulations and be patient.

“You will reach your destination,” he added.

Comm Kamarul Zaman also said the public could assist the police in fighting crime by sending relevant information and photos to the Johor police Facebook page.

“The public can get involved by sending us relevant and detailed information such as clear footage showing car registration numbers, road name, time and date of an incident.

“This applies not only to traffic offences but other criminal incidents too, so that we can take swift action,” he said.

This follows Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani’s call on Wednesday for the public to channel information or complaints regarding traffic offences to the traffic police to conduct investigations.