MIRI: In the light of the deteriorating Covid-19 situation here, Miri City Council (MCC) will mobilise the crime prevention patrol teams (Pasukan Rondaan) set up by its Neighbourhood Committees to report any social gatherings in residential areas to the authorities such as the Miri Division Disaster Management Committee (MDDMC) for possible actions such as the issuing of compound notices for breach of SOPs imposed under the CMCO.
This was said by Miri City Mayor Adam Yii on Monday (May 17) in a statement.
Datuk Lee Kim Shin, minister in charge of the MDDMC, had on May 14 this year stated that the committee would activate community policing to detect social gatherings which were prohibited under the current CMCO.
Social gatherings have been identified as the main cause of five Covid-19 clusters in Miri City; the latest Jalan Lilin cluster is due to the holding of a birthday party.
“The current role of the crime prevention patrol teams is to conduct beat duty around their neighbourhoods to help the police prevent crime activities such as stealing or damage to private and public properties and house break-ins,” said Yii.
He added the new responsibility of the teams was to report to the MDDMC any social gatherings and help prevent residential areas from becoming hot spots of Covid-19 outbreaks.
Yii added that the idea of forming the crime prevention patrol teams was mooted in 2017, a year after he became the mayor.
“They have succeeded in preventing crimes in the Pujut, Piasau and Krokop residential areas in the past. It is appropriate for them to undertake community policing in detecting any social gatherings for the MDDMC,” he said.
