GEORGE TOWN: Crowd control and public safety during the Thaipusam celebrations here are excellent, with no untoward incidents or crimes reported so far, says Comm Datuk Hamzah Ahmad.
The state police chief said this was from the police observation since the festival commenced on the eve of Thaipusam on Monday (Feb 10).
"In terms of public safety, crowd control as well as traffic, all went smoothly, and under control," he said.
Comm Hamzah said the crowd is expected to peak from around midday until late at night.
He said from Monday, more than 200,000 devotees will converge at the Jalan Utama and Waterfall areas.
"The number of visitors is likely to increase, so we ask for everyone's cooperation in following the rules.
"During this celebration, we hope everything runs smoothly and remains well-controlled so that people from all walks of life can participate in the event," he said.
He said he hopes the current situation during the festival will continue and no untoward incident will happen during the period of the festival.
Earlier, Comm Hamzah was accompanied by his deputy DCP Datuk Alwi Zainal Abidin, state Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department chief Sen Asst Comm Puspanathan Wiresingam, and other senior police officers during the walkabout at Jalan Utama.
Comm Hamzah took about 30 minutes to talk to devotees about the Safer Thaipusam campaign at several thaneer panthal (refreshment stalls) setup along the road.
He also passed goodies bags to devotees and visitors containing flyers on crime prevention during Thaipusam.
Safer Thaipusam is a community policing programme nationwide campaign aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of devotees and the public during the Hindu festival of Thaipusam.
On the strength of the police force, Comm Hamzah said a total of 1,500 police officers and personnel have been deployed for the three-day Thaipusam celebrations.
These police officers and personnel would be from the state police including officers on general duties, Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT), Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) and special teams.
