GEORGE TOWN, 4 Nov 2018:
To make George Town a safe city by 2030, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) will install another 150 units of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras equipped with high-resolution technology by the end of this year.
MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said the additional CCTV cameras would be installed at the hotspots which have been identified to include hotels, motels, tourist spots and back lanes often used by pedestrians as short cuts.
“With these new and sophisticated cameras, we can now place them much higher and further to monitor public safety especially the pedestrians.
“In addition to the CCTV cameras, MBPP in collaboration with the Penang police, is planning to introduce a face recognition system capable of identifying a person from a digital image to help curb crime activities around George Town,” he told reporters after launching the “George Town Bandar Selamat” programme here yesterday.
Yew said currently there were over 700 CCTV camera units installed on the island to monitor the traffic situation, flash floods and public safety and the additional 150 units would be installed in stages.
Meanwhile, Penang police chief Datuk Seri A.Thaiveegan, who was also present at the launch said the police would introduce a quick response code technology or QR Code to facilitate the public or tourists in contacting the police should they encounter any problem while in the state.
Separately in BUKIT MERTAJAM, a Buddhist temple in Jalan Betik here has been broken into on Thursday and incurred losses amounting to RM10,000.
Seberang Perai Tengah district police chief ACP Nik Ros Azhan Nik Abdul Hamid said the incident was discovered at 9am by one of the temple’s caretaker who found the place was in a mess.
“The 52-year-old man then inspected the temple compound and found that the temple’s windows had been broken into and subsequently lodged a police report over the incident.”
He said the initial investigation found that two suspects believed to have entered the back of the temple’s office and stole, among others, four incense holders made of copper, 20 cartons of liquor of various brands and two donation boxes containing money, with losses amounting to RM10,000.
Meanwhile, Penang police have uncovered a drug-processing laboratory and seized drugs worth RM534,000 with the arrest of seven individuals, including three women, following three raids in the state early Thursday morning.
Penang police chief Datuk Seri A. Thaiveegan said acting on intelligence carried out over the past one month, the Bukit Aman and Penang Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (JSJN) launched an operation and raided a house in Changkat Minden, Gelugor here at 3am.
“In the raid, police arrested four people after discovering a drug processing laboratory operating from the house which the syndicate had rented for the past two months.
“Subsequently an apartment located at the Queensbay shopping area was raided and two individuals were detained.
“Finally police raided another apartment in Sungai Dua, here and arrested another syndicate member.”
Thaiveegan said with the seizure of 12 bullets police believed the syndicate had used firearms to protect themselves during their drug dealing activities.
He said the suspects aged between 26 and 58 years would move frequently to avoid being detected adding that the processed drugs were marketed in the northern states.
The seven individuals have been remanded until Nov 7 and the case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
– Bernama