Cops put the brakes on illegal street racing

Eyes on the road: a total of 195 traffic summonses were issued and 48 motorcycles confiscated during Ops samseng Jalanan in Butterworth. — Photo taken from the Penang police department’s Facebook page

BUTTERWORTH: On most weekends, a group of mat rempit would rev their engines along the usual “race track” – the Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR).

But their reckless spree came to a halt when law enforcement authorities launched a coordinated crackdown to curb this menace.

In an operation codenamed Ops Samseng Jalanan, 67 motorcyclists were made to push their machines for about 3km to the Butterworth police station from the roadblock mounted along BORR near the Bagan Ajam rest and recreation area.

State police chief Comm Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said 195 summonses were issued for various traffic offences and 48 motorcycles seized during the seven-hour operation, which began at 5pm on Sunday.

“The operation was aimed at preventing illegal racing activities and ensuring that road users abide by the rules at all times to reduce the risk of accidents,” he said in a statement yesterday.

The motorcycles were seized under Section 64(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

Comm Hamzah said the police were committed to eradicating illegal racing here in an effort to cultivate a generation of road users who abided by the rules.

“I want to caution the people, particularly the younger generation of road users, against getting involved in illegal racing activities which can affect and endanger their lives as well as those of other road users,” he added.

The operation, led by the Penang Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department, also involved officers and personnel from the Crime Prevention and Community Safety Division, Butterworth police station and North Seberang Perai district police headquarters.

Three officers and 31 personnel were involved in the operation, said Comm Hamzah.

Last Sunday, videos of a large group of motorcyclists riding against the flow of traffic along BORR went viral.

In these clips, the motorcyclists were seen blaring their horns at traffic as they swerved past oncoming cars while fleeing a police roadblock, said North Seberang Prai OCPD Asst Comm Anuar Abdul Rahman.

He said 25 motorcycles were seized for various offences while a motorcyclist was arrested under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for riding recklessly and dangerously.