KUALA LUMPUR: Those involved in campaigning during the 15th General Election (GE15) must not resort to unruly behaviour as the cops will be watching closely.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Azmi Abu Kassim said everyone involved, especially the candidates, should not touch on sensitive issues during their campaign.
“Don’t resort to anything that might incite hate or touch on sensitive issues. We will be deploying sufficient police personnel throughout the GE15 period,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Comm Azmi said the police would work closely with the Election Commission (EC) to monitor political activities during the election.
“We believe the candidates and their supporters are mature enough to navigate the political scenario.
“However, we will monitor the situation closely to ensure that no untoward incident occurs. The respective OCPDs will call up candidates or their representatives to remind them of the ‘dos and don’ts’ of the election,” he added.
While the police did not anticipate anything out of order to occur, they were ready to ensure that all would go smoothly for nomination and polling days, Comm Azmi said.
“For Kuala Lumpur, about 2,500 police personnel will be deployed on nomination day and 7,000 personnel on polling day,” he said.
Meanwhile, Penang police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the integrity of the election process was foolproof and people should not fall for fake news.
He said the police and the EC would work closely with the representatives of all candidates to ensure the election process was done smoothly and transparently.
“Technology has advanced, so it is easy for many to spread fake news on the election process to create confusion and suspicion.
“People should be wary of this,” he said at the Multipurpose Hall of Land and Mines Department in Central Seberang Prai yesterday.
He was visiting a few polling centres to check their safety features and preparations before nomination day on Saturday.
He urged representatives, supporters and the people to ensure a smooth and incident-free election.
Previously, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said the police had identified less than 100 hotspots for GE15.
He said a policeman would be stationed at each polling channel.
“This will involve more than 38,000 channels. We must ensure there are no elements that disrupt public order,” he added.
He also said a total of 94,411 police officers and personnel would be deployed nationwide for GE15.
The IGP said the police were committed to ensuring that safety and public order were preserved.
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