Cops must be informed of public gatherings

JOHOR BARU: Political parties and groups which want to hold outdoor ceramah or public gatherings should inform the police prior to the event, says Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Zainuddin Yaacob.

They should tell the police the time and location of their events before they proceed, he added.

He said the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, which was passed last year, stipulates that the authorities must be told of any gathering at least 10 days in advance.

“The organisers need not apply for permits but they have to inform us so we can get feedback from the community first before the ceramah is allowed,” he said after launching the Motorcycle Patrol Unit (URB) at SK Taman Suria here yesterday.

He was commenting on an incident where participants of a ceramah organised by PKR claimed they were assaulted during the talk at Taman Sri Stulang flats here on Tuesday night.

PKR director of communications Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who attended the ceramah, claimed that an unknown number of people had manhandled about 20 local PKR leaders.

To this, ACP Zainuddin said the police had received two reports on the incident and the case was being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting.

“The police were also not notified of the ceramah by the organisers,” he added.

On the URB, ACP Zainuddin said the unit members would start their patrols in Taman Suria.

“Eight policemen will patrol the area on a 24-hour basis. They will be tasked to interact with the people to enhance police presence,” he said, adding that 34 more motorcycles would be added soon.