PETALING JAYA, Aug 24 — Bukit Aman police have set up two special teams to combat serious crime and drugs in the country, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (picture) said today.

He said the teams, each comprising 200 well-trained men led by a police commissioner, begun operation two months ago.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has given immediate approval to the setting up of the two teams, he said.

“The teams will operate directly from Bukit Aman to combat the targeted groups, and they will not go through the state and district police contingents and headquarters,” he told reporters after opening a crime prevention forum in Bandar Sunway here.

The minister said the teams were currently investigating the case involving five members of a gang who were shot dead in Penang recently.

“The selection and appointment of officers and members of the teams are under the full power of Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar,” he said.

The one-day forum titled “Current Law and Methods to Combat Violent Crime Effectively” was co-organised by the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) and the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI).

It was aimed at collecting input from various quarters, including the police and non-governmental organisations, for the drafting of a new crime prevention law.

In his speech earlier, Ahmad Zahid said whatever resolutions made at the forum should be submitted to the Home Ministry and the Attorney-General’s Chambers to be studied and scrutinised, including whether or not it was necessary to bring back the existing preventive law to fight serious crimes in the country.

He said when the Internal Security Act and the Emergency Ordinance were abolished, it had made it difficult for the law enforcement authorities, especially the police, to take preventive action.

Furthermore, Ahmad Zahid said after the abolition of the two laws, witnesses were becoming more afraid to come forward, suspects were becoming more difficult to be identified and statements were hardly sufficient to enable the police to arrest the criminals and hence, this had hampered the whole efforts to combat serious crimes.

“In the ongoing discussions to formulate the new crime prevention law, we will ensure that the forum’s resolutions will be taken into account before we table the Bill in Parliament,” he said.

The minister also announced that he was appointed by Najib as the new chairman of the MCPF, effective last Wednesday.

Also present were MCPF vice-president Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye and ASLI chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah. — Bernama