The punishment by restricted residence imposed on criminals is still relevant and should be maintained, Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed told the Parliament today.

However, he said the government would continue to improve the contents of rehabilitation programmes for individuals placed under restricted residence to ensure their relevance with current development.

"The element of restricted residence is not something alien in a preventive law, individuals who are placed under restricted residence are actually under police supervision, it is not that they are neglected by the government.

"They are under police supervision and (are) helped to find jobs based on the skills they possess,” he said during the question and answer session.

He was responding to a question by William @ Nyallau Badak (BN-Lubok Antu) on whether the government would review the punishment by restricted residence, which he said was not effective in educating the criminals concerned.

- Bernama