KUALA LUMPUR: Police are waging war against parking touts, and asking the public to refuse paying them and reporting their illegal activities to the authorities.
City police Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Nadzri Hussain advised the public to contact police on parking tout activity so that they can take immediate action.
“I advise the public not to bother paying touts. Paying them is like encouraging them, so park at proper car parks,” he said.
Nadzri said police continuously conduct operations to combat the problem.
Between Jan and Nov 7, police arrested 181 touts involved in illegal parking ‘coordination’ activity in the city, and some have been charged in court.
“From yesterday up until this morning, 28 people, including six Indians and an Indonesian, have been arrested. Out of the number, 15 have been brought to court to be charged,” he said.
For immigrants detained, they will be investigated further under the Immigration Act for suspicion of misusing their work permits.
Nadzri said some areas of the city may be controlled by underworld gangs, but to date, no connection has been found linking syndicates to the activity.
“When we arrest foreigners, they claim they work individually, but it is impossible for them to work individually. On top of that, the collection money is not kept by them. So we believe that someone would make rounds to collect the money from these touts,” he said.
When asked to identify hotspots in the city, Nadzri said stretches of roads housing entertainment outlets, such as at Jalan Alor, Jalan P. Ramlee and Kg Pandan roundabouts, are among them.
Besides that, shopping spots such as Jalan Chow Kit, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Kenanga are top tout spots.