KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 — The National Security Council (NSC) Bill will improve the police’s ability to address terrorism threats here, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said today when conceding that existing laws were already sufficient.
He added that his force will use any law at its disposal including the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, Prevention of Crime Act (POCA) (Amendment) 2015, Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) 2015, and when it is gazetted, the NSC Bill.
“Well we have enough laws such as SOSMA, POCA and all… we have these laws but the NSC will help though,” he added.
Abdul Khalid was asked if he would welcome the contentious NSC Bill that was sanctioned in the Parliament last year, to help the police fight the spread of Islamic State (IS) among Malaysian sympathisers.
He told reporters at the federal police headquarters here that he would use all pre-emptive laws available in the country to eradicate IS elements from spreading or threatening the citizens.
Malaysian police were put on red alert following the bombings in Jakarta two days ago that involved at least seven blasts and left seven people dead.
The Jakarta blasts followed a suicide bombing in Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday that killed 10 people, all of whom were Germans, which officials reportedly blamed on the Islamic State.
Last week, police also nabbed a 28-year-old man nabbed at an LRT station here over suspected links to the IS terror network.
Khalid confirmed in a statement last week that the man, who he said was picked up at the Setiawangsa LRT station, admitted to being instructed by his Syrian comrades to stage the suicide attack.
