PARLIAMENT The Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) is trying to take over the jurisdiction of the police and the reduction of the crime rate in the state has nothing to do with the unit set up by the Penang government, said Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

Based on the reports he received, Zahid said that PPS members were conducting vehicle checks, a task that falls under the jurisdiction of the police.

“This is not a job for a team that is said to be trying to assist the police but it is (an attempt) to take over the power of the police and security authorities,” he told Parliament today.

The minister was responding in Dewan Rakyat to a question posted by DAP's Tanjung MP Ng Wei Aik, who asked  why the PPS must be registered with ROS.

 
According to Bernama , the home minister further stated that although the state government had approved PPS, the Penang  State Assembly never approved through an enactment.
    
He said the Voluntary Patrol Scheme (SRS) was formed under the Rukun  Tetangga Act 2012 while the People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) was set up under the  Malaysia Volunteers Corps Act 2012, which were both passed by the Dewan Rakyat.
    
"The SRS and Rela do not need to be registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) as they were set up under acts of Parliament," said Zahid.
    
He said the matter was subject to the law and under the jurisdiction of the federal government because it was related to security and defence aspects.
 
PPS is not registered with the ROS and is not included in any act passed by the Dewan Rakyat.
 
"The PPS wants to act like a security force but there are 11 police reports made against it for beating, slapping and spraying tear gas on the public," Zahid said.
 
Bernama reported that Zahid, in replying to a supplementary question from PKR’s Lumut MP Mohamad Imran Abdul Hamid, said that security and defence was under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
 
Imran had claimed that the security of the country was the responsibility of the menteris besar and chief ministers.
 
"We know that security and defence comes under the federal government, so it  would be outside the law if any state government wants to take over the power of  the federal government," said Zahid.