KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — The Prisons Department stressed that there were no violations of standard operating procedures in the inmate escort operation to court yesterday, and every step taken by officers were based on security considerations, operations priority and current situation on the field.

The department said that it has taken note of allegations in a viral video claiming that there was a violation of SOP involving departmental vehicles during the operation.

The escort operation involved the movement of a convoy from Kajang Prison to several court locations as well as hospitals around the Klang Valley, consisting of two buses and a van as the lead vehicle.

“Throughout the journey, the convoy moved in an orderly manner with the use of signal lights and sirens for safety purposes and in compliance with established procedures. The distance between vehicles was maintained consistently and was not broken,” the department said in a statement today.

However, a technical malfunction involving one of the buses occurred shortly after the convoy began moving, causing the vehicle to be unable to continue the journey.

“A decision was made by the officer on duty to continue with the main convoy to ensure that the delivery of detainees to court destinations proceeded on schedule and did not disrupt trial proceedings.

“The convoy movement also involved a planned route separation, where the lead vehicle (van) continued its journey to the hospital, while the escort buses proceeded to the designated courts. All these movements were in line with operational planning and current logistical requirements,” the department added.

It also stressed its commitment to the principle of transparency and will not compromise on any procedural non-compliance and that an internal review will still be carried out to assess the overall operation and ensure that SOP compliance remains at the highest level. — Bernama