KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — Taxi drivers in the Klang Valley have been roped in to become the eyes and ears of the police force by using a smartphone application.
At least 10,000 taxi drivers utilising the MyTeksi smartphone application will be able to report a crime, an accident or provide a tip-off in just two clicks via the app.
By doing so they will be able to speak directly to the police operation centre of the district where the taxi driver is in.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the MyTeksi application had been updated to include this special feature for taxi drivers.
“It features a ‘report to PDRM’ button that will allow the taxi driver to be in contact with police within seconds,” he said at the launch of the strategic collaboration between the police and MyTeksi in Bukit Aman yesterday.
Police and MyTeksi came up with the initiative because, Khalid said, crime prevention was everybody’s business.
He said police had given training to 500 taxi drivers on what they should look out for when theywere on the road.
“For now, it will only be implemented in the Klang Valley and if the response is positive, it will be implemented nationwide,” he said.
Khalid said training for taxi drivers on their role and responsibility would be done gradually.
MyTeksi general manager Adelene Foo said taxi drivers usually worked between 12 and 15 hours during the day and night.
“So they will be the perfect people to be the eyes and ears of the police. Based on our research, one taxi driver has an average of 10 to 15 passengers a day, which means they fetch at least 3,000 passengers a year,” she said.
Foo said the drivers could also help their passengers to report crimes using the app.
“Apart from that, the drivers themselves would feel safer as they have a distress button that they can press if faced with passengers who are up to no good,” she said.
On a different matter, Khalid said police were working closely with Interpol to ascertain whether the suspects in the automated teller machine (ATM) hacking incidents had fled abroad.
