IGP: Penang volunteer patrol members arrested for defying police
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- The detained PPS members being escorted from the Beach Street police station to a …
GEORGE TOWN, Aug 31 — Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said today 154 Penang volunteer patrol unit (PPS) members were arrested for ignoring his orders to cease participating in the “illegal” group’s activities.
Confirming a police crackdown against the unit that began with today’s arrest, Khalid said he previously cautioned the group’s members of the consequences of continued participation.
“I have already warned them that PPS is illegal and told them to cease all activities or else we would move in and take action,” he said in response to questions from the media today.
He said the PPS members had allegedly flouted the law and set out to challenge the police and his orders by continuing with activities as normal.
“When they have been declared illegal by the Registrar of Societies (RoS), they should take action by stopping all activities and write to RoS for the next course of actions to take,” Khalid said.
Instead, Khalid said the PPS had ignored his warnings and intentionally continued with their activities.
“They are challenging us intentionally as if challenging us to take actions against them, like gangsters,” he claimed.
He then urged PPS leaders to surrender themselves and co-operate with the police now to avoid being hunted down.
“If they don’t surrender, we will act to arrest them, even from their homes if we have to,” he said.
This morning, about 200 PPS members were reportedly arrested after taking part in a Merdeka parade here.
It was later confirmed that a total of 154 PPS members were detained and then sent to the George Town police headquarters to have their statements recorded.
Khalid said all will be released once the Penang police finished taking their statements to assist in investigations against the organisation.
The PPS has been in the limelight recently after a 51-year-old man lodged a police report alleging that two PPS members had beat him up.
The duo lodged police reports in return to deny the allegations and claimed the man had attacked first.
This issue led to an uproar with Barisan Nasional leaders urging for the unit to be disbanded with Malay rights group Perkasa lodging police reports urging the police to investigate the unit’s activities.
Khalid had declared the organisation illegal and Deputy Home Minister Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar had also asked for the group to be stopped.
Penang state government had remained steadfast in its insistence that the group is legal.
PPS was formed by the state government in May 2011 to assist the public in all situations including directing traffic, in times of disaster and to patrol the streets as a preventive measure against crime.
As of now, there are more than 9,000 PPS members in the state and the members have all undergone various courses that include first aid and disaster management.
