Residents happy with rise in patrols by cops in Johor Baru

23 February 2010 , By The Star

Many Johoreans have expressed delight at the increased police presence in the city’s central business district.

Some commended the police for their quick response to emergency calls while others were happy with their increased patrols.

Soo Peng Hang, 79, said he was glad to see the increase patrols as the area had been a crime hot spot.

“I have been operating this printing and stationery shop here since 1950 and we have seen many crimes,” he said.

Recently, he had noticed an increase in the police presence and it had given him a sense of security, he said.

Australian tourist Adam Russel, 23, said he felt safe and did not worry about walking around the city during his one-month stay.

“It is common to see policemen making their rounds here,” he noted.

The student said he would recommend the city for a holiday to his friends when he returned to Australia.

Soo and Russel were among several people who spoke to Johor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff who walked around the city recently to get feedback from shopkeepers and members of the public.

DCP Mohd Mokhtar said he was pleased to know that members of the public and tourists felt safe.

“It is part of a high-profile policing programme adopted to bring down crime in the state,” he said.

After speaking to several shopkeepers and pedestrians here, he found that many were still not aware of the police hotline number.

Anyone could call the hotline to provide information and be attended to either in English, Bahasa Malaysia or Mandarin, he added.

“We will hand out flyers to publicise the hotline number and inform the public on how to work with the police to bring down crime, he said.

He urged those with information on criminal activities to call the 07-2212 999 hotline and gave the assurance that police would respond in less than 15 minutes.