PETALING JAYA: The Royal Malaysian Police will for the first time be utilising digital 'In-Car Radar' and 'Intelligent Compound Online Payment System' (iCOPS) to crack down errant drivers on the nation's highways and expressways.
The two digital enforcement tools will be utilised during the implementation of Op Selamat 17 implemented in conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration said Deputy Inspector -General of Police Datuk Razarudin Husain.
He said the 'In-Car Radar' technology would be used as a speed limit detection device and will be in addition to the normal enforcement operations to detect vehicles exceeding the set speed limit.
Razarudin adds that the iCOPS tool meanwhile will detect traffic offenders who have outstanding summonses and traffic arrest warrants.
"This will include vehicles involved in criminal cases such as stolen vehicles, clones and so on.
"Both equipment are very helpful in storing and building vehicle profiles systematically for Police analysis records, for now, and in the future," he said.
Razarudin said this in a press conference after officiating the Op Selamat 17 at the Sungai Buloh Bridge Restaurant northbound here.
The ceremony was also attended by Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department director (JSPT), Datuk Mat Kassim Karim.
Also present were the Managing Director of PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS), Datuk Azman Ismail, the Chairman of PLUS, Datuk Mohamad Nasir Ab Latif and the Director-General of the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), Datuk Ir Mohd Shuhaimi Hassan.
Razarudin adds that the enforcement by 'In-Car Radar' and 'i-COPS' will be implemented by the Police Highway Patrol team which is assigned to conduct patrol along national highways including the PLUS expressway.
On Op Selamat 17, Razarudin said, the operation will kick off from this Friday (Jan 28) to Feb 6 with the theme 'Safe Home, Safe to Destination'.
"After two years of Op Selamat not being implemented due to the Movement Control Order (MCO), Op Selamat has now been re-launched.
"The operation is being carried out with two main objectives, namely to prevent burglary and minimise road accidents during the festive season," he said.
Meanwhile, Nasir in his speech said the PLUS expressway is expected to see a surge in the number of vehicles, with up to 1.6 million vehicles expected to be on the roads during the Chinese New Year festive period.
He said the figure was an increase of 17.4 per cent compared to 1.4 million vehicles on normal days.
"Based on studies, we expect the number of vehicles on the highway to start increasing on Jan 28 and 29 as well as on Feb 2 and 5.
"The PLUS Expressway is expected to receive a surge in the number of vehicles compared to normal days," he said.
He said, PLUS has made preparations to face the increase in vehicles and has formulated an effective strategy.
"A total of 264 PLUSRonda teams will also be on duty throughout the festive season and the frequency of patrols has been increased to help highway users facing problems.
"PLUS hopes that Op Selamat this time will remind motorists to be more sensitive in prioritising safety which needs to be adopted by every driver.
This is because among the factors that contributed to accidents includes the consequences of following too closely, driving in a drowsy state, losing control and exceeding the speed limit", he said.