Illegal racing in Johor down due to regular police patrols

JOHOR BARU: Round-the-clock police patrols and monitoring of the streets have been effective at keeping Mat Rempit and Mat Lajak at bay.

Johor traffic investigation and enforcement chief Supt Dzulkairi Mukhtar said efforts to curb illegal racing have been actively carried out to ensure safety in the streets.

The efforts were stepped up especially after the horrific accident that claimed the lives of eight cyclists at Jalan Lingkaran Dalam near the Mahmoodiah Muslim cemetery here in the early hours of Feb 18.

He said the trend of modifying bicycles with cheap spare parts to race them on roads had gradually simmered down since the tragic accident.

“We are observing daily. The active patrolling has proven to be useful so far,” he said when contacted by The Star yesterday.

He added that no new reports of illegal racing had been received recently.

District police chiefs in the Kulai and Johor Baru North areas also reported streets clear of illegal racing in view of the school holidays and long National Day and Hari Raya Haji break.

Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Shahurinain Jais (pic) said the last arrest recorded in his area was four months ago when 13 teenagers were detained and 15 bicycles seized at Jalan Denai, Taman Bukit Jaya, near Pelangi Indah.

“These groups are no longer active at their usual spots around the city probably because of the police action taken to stop such illegal activities,” he said.

Seri Alam OCPD Supt Jokhiri Aziz said the cooperation of the public was essential to improving the situation.

“We always remind people to provide us with tip-offs on such activities. We are in this together,” he said.

Those who have spotted illegal racing should contact the police hotline at 07-221 2999 or the nearest police station.