The Penang Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) will be replaced with a community policing unit and Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has agreed to this, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

"PPS will be replaced with a community policing (unit) similar to those in other states," Zahid told reporters.

He said Lim agreed to the move after a meeting in Parliament yesterday.

The PPS has ceased operations after 157 of its members were arrested in August. It has since been declared illegal by the Home Ministry.

But CM says no agreement given

However, when contacted, Lim expressed surprise over the announcement.

He said while it is true that he had discused the PPS issue with Ahmad Zahid in Parliament, he did not agree to incorporating PPS into community policing.

"He (Zahid) said the banning of PPS was initiated by the Attorney-General and I reiterated that we will challenge that in court to defend 158 PPS members who were arrested.

 

"He proposed to incorporate PPS into Community Policing (CP)  but I didn't agree ."

 

"I merely asked him to table a working paper to the state government, so we can discuss it further.

"To say i agree with his proposal is not true at all."

He said the state is maintaining its stance that PPS is legally-formed and would not decide without a proper proposal.

He said that the state executive council will decide based on the working paper and that as CM, he cannot act alone.

"We are taking about governance not coffee talk. This is a serious matter and he (Zahid Hamidi) said will send a senior officer to meet us."

 

Lim said PPS member can join community policing units on their own accord, but the state will continue assisting police to ensure public safety in the state.

Zahid: 9,000 PPS members screened

Zahid told reporters at a press conference in Bukit Aman today that police have screened 9,000 PPS members and will announce the number of those involved in crime soon.

Those found to be involved in criminal activities will still be charged.

Besides replacing PPS, Zahid said, the Home Ministry will also be streamlining the standard operating procedures and uniforms of all community policing units in the country.

The ministry will also bolster the number of volunteer police officers.

"In Malaysia, one police officer takes care of 3,500 people. To tackle this, there are two solutions, (one of which) is to add the number of police officers," Zahid said.

Despite needing more police officers and men, he noted that under the National Key Results Area, the crime index has dropped by 30 percent over the last four years.

In particular, the number of car thefts has decreased by 24 percent.

However, perception of crime has not improved.

 

Zahid attributed this to urbanisation, as well as a 90 percent gap between perception and reality, which he said was also a problem affecting other countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

He also called on the governments of all states, including those held by Pakatan Rakyat, to work together with police to further combat crime.