PETALING JAYA: Within 24 hours, a police station chief was slapped with a transfer order for failing to take action against the illegal gambling activities in his area.
An unhappy Selangor police chief Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Abdul Samah Mat ordered for the transfer.
“I was not happy with how he handled it so I transferred him out. We take this very seriously,” he said, declining to comment further.
SDCP Abdul Samah revealed that 2,189 individuals were arrested in Selangor for gambling offences within five months of this year.
Out of the figure, 1,301 individuals were operators of the outlets while the rest were players.
“When we checked, 2,295 premises remained closed. There is no compromise when it comes to clamping down on these activities.
“We will do whatever we can and it will be a continuous effort,” he said at the disposal of illegal gambling machines at the Ara Damansara police station yesterday.
Between January and May this year, 806 successful raids were carried out in Selangor.
A total of 6,910 illegal gambling machines worth more than RM5.5mil were confiscated. Police also seized RM153,432 in cash.
A total of 437 cases have been brought to court.
Investigations revealed that operators have changed their modus operandi and started operating from terrace houses, apartments, budget hotels, snooker centres and restaurants.
