New mechanism introduced for Pakan inter-district travel permits
Sarawak police yesterday introduced a new mechanism in Pakan for those requiring inter-district permits to travel during the Movement Control Order. Sarawak deputy police commissioner Datuk Dev Kumar said the new mechanism has enabled police to cut down the queuing time of 170 applicants to less than an hour. Under the new mechanism, applicants who are already queuing outside the police station will be handed new permit slips to fill in their names and MyKad number. Once inside the police station, applicants only need to declare their destination, date of travel, and obtain the official police stamp. “Before this, it took about one to five minutes for each applicant to fill in the inter-district forms (inside the police station) and we admit that this contributes to the long queue,” said Dev Kumar in a statement yesterday. Since last week, between 150 and 200 people have been queuing for hours outside the Pakan police station daily to obtain the inter-district permits. Based on previous news reports, a majority of the applicants needed the permits to withdraw their Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) and Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance aid in Sarikei. “We will study the effectiveness of this mechanism before rolling it out to other police stations in Sarawak, which might be facing the same issue,” said Dev Kumar. He added the issue had been raised with the State Disaster Management Commi ee and the commi ee had agreed to the new mechanism.