Police going after scrap yard owners buying stolen goods
KUCHING: The police will be going all out against errant scrap yard owners who continue to deal in stolen goods by not only revoking their operating licence, but charging them in court as well.
State Police Commissioner Datuk Mazlan Mansor said an aggressive approach is needed against such owners because their continued acceptance of stolen goods only serves to encourage theft.
“Checks conducted by police have found that there were scrap yards across the state - in Miri, Bintulu and here in Kuching - that continue to defy the law by accepting stolen items such as cables and metal.
“If they continue to accept these stolen goods, then there will be those who will be looking to steal them. We’ve got to go to the root of the problem and once we curb the illegal activities of these scrap yard owners, it will lead to a drop in such theft cases,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after attending a discussion programme in conjunction with the 210th Police Day celebration at the state police headquarters here yesterday, Mazlan said no leniency will be shown towards these owners, who will face criminal charges in court as well as have their operating licences revoked.
He added that the aggressive stand taken by police in enforcing the Second-Hand Dealer’s Act has thus far been able to reduce metal and cable theft.
“I recall saying in February that we will be going all out and be aggressive. Maybe some of them (scrap yard owners) did not get the signal or understand my warning and continue to deal in stolen goods.
“So for those who don’t understand the law, or choose to defy the law, be prepared to lose your licence and be charged in court,” stressed Mazlan, adding the police will be submitting a list of errant scrap yards to the state government for licence revocation.
The Second-Hand Dealer’s Act was fully enforced on Feb 1 this year, with police launching a state-wide operation to go after unlicensed dealers of second-hand goods.
The enforcement of the Act allows the police to monitor the purchase of stolen goods by scrap yard owners, particularly involving metal and cable, in a bid to reduce the number of theft cases involving those items in the state.
On the issue of motorcycle theft in the state, Mazlan said the overall situation was still under control despite the recent increase in number of such cases.
“This type of case fluctuates. There will be a period when it goes up and also a period when it goes down. Overall, though, the situation is very much under control.”
He said among the measures taken was to block the state’s border to prevent stolen vehicles from crossing into a neighbouring country, but pointed out that the existence of many ‘ jalan tikus’ and ‘jalan gajah’ along the border were bound to pose challenge to the police.