500 cops to be on duty for Sabah’s month-long Kaamatan celebrations

KOTA KINABALU: Some 500 police officers and personnel will be on duty to oversee crime prevention and traffic flow during the month-long Kaamatan festival throughout Sabah.

Sabah Commissioner of Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun said the police had already planned measures to ensure the celebrations, which kicked off on May 1, would proceed smoothly.

"About 500 policemen, especially from the Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department, have been mobilised throughout the Kaamatan period,” he said at the Sabah police headquarters in Kepayan here on Monday (May 8).

"This is to ensure the celebrations are under control as well as for the convenience of the people," he added.

Comm Jauteh said they expected a high volume of visitors to the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) grounds in Penampang near here, the traditional venue for the culmination of Kaamatan on May 30 and 31.

He said, however, the police had identified a number of alternative stretches which road users could utilise to escape the traffic congestion in the area during those the period.

"So, we will advise the public to use these routes so they will not get caught in the crawl there," he said.

The colourful Kaamatan or the harvest festival, a celebration of thanksgiving to the padi spirit for good harvest, kicked off in the Tuaran district last May 1.

The celebrations of the ethnic Kadazandusun, Murut and Rungus communities will be held across the state with traditional music, dances and games in each district over the month.

It will also see each district picking its own Unduk Ngadau (Harvest Queen) who will then compete among themselves for the state-level Unduk Ngadau 2023 title, which is a much-anticipated event among Sabahans.

Meanwhile, commenting on cable thefts in Sabah, Comm Jauteh said 58 such cases had been recorded statewide in the first four months of this year.

He said most of the cases took place in the state capital with 21 cases recorded, followed by Penampang with eight cases, Kudat (seven), Papar (six), Tuaran (four) and Kota Marudu (three).

At the same time, he added, Beaufort, Keningau, Kota Belud and Sipitang each recorded two cases while Lahad Datu only detected one cable theft.