Police plan to set up two bases at each end of the Penang Bridge to improve surveillance and anti-crime operations.

The Penang government and multi-national companies in the free industrial zones will assist the police in setting up these bases.

lim guan eng penang invest pc 121208 penang deputy cpo salleh State deputy police chief Salleh Mat Rasid told reporters today that Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd - the concessionaire - has been requested to install additional ‘spy camera’ units above and under the bridge to assist the police.

Plans are also underway to upgrade the temporary police base in Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone to a station that will operate around the clock.

In addition, the Rakan Cop scheme will be relaunched to boost the current number of volunteers which stands at some 3,200.

With these measures, other strategies and 4,200 police personnel, the state police believe they have enough capacity to keep Penang safe and boost the confidence of locals and visitors.

The state has witnessed a number of high-profile crime cases in recent years, but Salleh pointed out that its crime-rate between January and November this year has been the fourth lowest in the country.

“We managed to reduce the rate by four percent compared to last year. Penang is far safer than many other states,” he said.

Intel case

Salleh further said the RM48 million chip heist at Intel's plant in 2006 has been solved in part. Eight locals are being held under the preventive Emergency Ordinance - which allows for detention without trial - at the Simpang Rengam Rehabilitation Centre in Johor.

"We have detained them because we could not accumulate enough evidence to prove a prima facie case against them in court, although we have proof that they are criminals,"he said.

However, police have not recovered the chips, believed to have been shipped out to an unidentified foreign buyer by the armed robbers immediately after the heist.

“Our investigation revealed that it was masterminded by a robbery syndicate linked to an international chain. This is why we could not recover the stolen goods," he said, adding that police have not closed the investigation file yet.