Police to launch largest-ever crackdown against illegal gambling
Action committee formed to execute plans to wipe out menace, says deputy IGP
POLICE are set to launch its biggest ever crackdown on illegal gambling nationwide. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said to ensure total success, an “illegal gambling action committee” had been formed.
The committee, he said, would plan, analyse, synergise and execute plans to wipe out illegal gambling.
Noor Rashid said the crackdown would start with raids on identified outlets.
“This will be followed by action against online gambling platforms.
“We will also come up with a more synergised plan involving government enforcement agencies to shut down online gambling platforms.
“Online gambling has become the preferred choice for operators due to the difficulty of being detected,” he said after meeting state deputy police chiefs and Criminal Investigation Department chiefs at the Bukit Aman police headquarters here yesterday.
He said offenders, including those who helped or protected such operations, would be identified and rounded up.
“Action will be taken to ensure that such operations do not resurface.
“We will also propose recommendations on whether laws should be amended. If the laws are preventing us from eradicating illegal gambling and allowing such operations to resurface, then the committee will come up with recommendations for amendments to ensure we can shut them down for good.”
Noor Rashid said to tackle the complexity of online gambling, there would be collaborations with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and Internet service providers.
“Most online gambling operate through servers located overseas and push their software through multiple collapsible local servers.”
He said there had been public outcry over online gambling and an effective strategy was needed to rid the problem.
He said action against online gambling operations could begin in the next three days.
The crackdown could be the biggest ever against illegal gambling as it is expected to involve police personnel at all levels.
In an immediate reaction, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan said the police’s Integrity and Standard Compliance Department needed to function effectively to ensure the success of the operation.
Citing how past raids were unsuccessful due to leaked information, he said police needed to be proactive in identifying and weeding out any collusion between “dirty cops” and gambling syndicates.