KUCHING: The Sarawak Marine Police Region 5 (PPWM5) conducted 509 joint operations with various government agencies and arrested 128 individuals in the first six months this year.
The operations included ‘Op Landai’, ‘Op Kontraban’, ‘Op Gelora’, ‘Op Khazanah’ and ‘Op Bersepadu’ conducted together with the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), State Security and Enforcement Unit (UKPN) and Immigration Department.
Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri said the 128 arrests were recorded from January to June, a decrease of two arrests compared to 130 for the same period last year.
“The arrests were for various offenses under the Immigration Act 1959/1963, Customs Act 1967, Control of Supplies Act 1961, Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, Arms Act 1960, Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, Environmental Quality Act 1974, Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958, Sarawak Forestry Ordinance 2015, Sarawak State Land Code 2015, and National Parks Ordinance 2015.
“Apart from that, 924 summonses were also issued for various offences under the Sarawak River Ordinance 1993, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952,” he told journalists after attending the Sarawak Contingent Police Headquarters (IPK) monthly assembly yesterday (July 18).
Under ‘Op Kontraban’, the marine police recorded a total of 59 arrests and RM15 million worth of seizures compared to 58 arrests and RM70 million worth of seizures for the same period of January to June last year.
Meanwhile, under the Customs Act 1967, Azman said a total of 15 arrests and seizures worth RM6 million were recorded this year, compared to last year’s arrests of 27 and RM64 million worth of seizures.
As for arrests and seizures under the Control of Supplies Act 1961, the marine police recorded 44 arrests and seized goods worth RM9.5 million compared to last year’s 31 arrests and seizures worth RM6 million for the same period.
Mohd Azman said marine police were also involved in search and rescue (SAR) operations such as boat sinking tragedies and floods, with 16 SAR cases from January to June this year compared to 10 cases for the same period last year.
