The abolition of the mandatory death sentence in drug trafficking cases would allow the court the liberty to determine punishment based on the seriousness of the offence, said Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) vice-chairman Lee Lam Thye.      

Noting that the court currently had no alternative punishment other than the gallows for drug offenders charged under Section 39(B) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, he suggested that it be substituted with imprisonment of up to 30 years or more, based on the practice of other countries that had abolished the death sentence.     

"Of course the punishment must correspond to the gravity of the offence," he told reporters after launching a MCPF crime prevention campaign, Kuala Lumpur, today.     

He was commenting on the statement by Minister in the Minister's Department Mohamed Nazri Aziz on the proposal to defer the mandatory death sentence on convicted drug traffickers until the completion of a study on its justification.     

Meanwhile, Selangor police chief Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah who was also present at the event, said the latest statistics showed 96 per cent of 383 fingerprints found at crime scenes in the state were identified to be those of hardcore criminals while the rest belonged to new offenders.     

He hoped the public would change their negative perception of former convicts to prevent them from becoming habitual offenders.     

"If society can offer them support, it would likely prevent them from turning to crime again," he said.     

- Bernama