CP spells out three steps to ensure maximum security
SANDAKAN: Sabah Commissioner of Police Datuk Omar Mammah has called on tourism operators, fishing boats and fish farm owners here to undertake three steps to ensure maximum security for their businesses.
They are installing high definition (HD) closed circuit television camera (CCTV) and automatic identification system (AIS) on their ships and boats, and hiring only documented workers and not illegal immigrants.
Omar said HD CCTVs should be installed at business premises, especially at fish farms and tourism premises, to enable the security enforcement unit identify criminals even if any incident takes place at night.
He also said that the AIS should be installed on ships and boats that operate in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) so that security enforcement units will be able to ascertain their location in case of an emergency, and their ships and boats would not be mistaken as cross border criminals.
“Hire only documented workers. If you wish to hire immigrants, make sure you go through the correct procedures and get them the working permit, so that security enforcement units will have their background and details. If you hire illegal immigrants, we would not know who they are or if they are working with criminals,” he said.
Omar said this during a dialogue session with tourism players, fishing boats and fish farm owners from Sandakan, Beluran and Kinabatangan here, yesterday. Also present was Sandakan Municipal Council president Datuk Peter Hii Chang Lik.
He also reminded fishermen not to go beyond Malaysian waters to fish to avoid unfortunate incidents such as kidnapping, robbery, or getting arrested by the authorities of the neighbouring countries.
“Our current security condition is in a good state. Despite the recent kidnapping incident in Semporna on September 11, it has been quite some time since any cross border crime case has been reported. We believe this is because of the measures taken by security enforcement units, including the marine police, navy, police and others, which are working effectively,” he said.
Commenting on the kidnapping of two Indonesian fishermen in Semporna on September 11, Omar said there was no new demand from the kidnappers to date.
He said the last demand was on September 16 when the kidnappers called one of the victims’ wife to demand for RM4 million in ransom money, and another call on September 28 to the victims’ employer to demand for payment to be made.
“There was no time frame given by the kidnappers to settle the ransom. That was the last update of the incident. We have identified the gang that is involved in this crime, but we will not reveal this information to the public,” he said.
In the incident on September 11, Samsul Saguni, 40, and his assistant, Usman Yunus, 35, were kidnapped by armed men at Bodgaya Island off Semporna.