KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 ― The high number of Selangor police personnel on active duty during the Hari Raya holidays is normal and not a reaction to the terrorist attack at a Puchong night club, said Datuk Abdul Samah Mat.
The Selangor police chief explained that standard operating procedures restricted the proportion of the state’s 14,000 officers that were allowed to go on leave in the same period.
“No, it’s not. At any one time, we cannot allow more than 10 per cent to be on leave because that’s our commitment, our duty in terms of crime prevention,” he said when asked if the active force strength was a response to the recent Islamic State attack in Puchong.
“During the holidays many people leave their homes vacant, their warehouses are closed for a long time, the banks are close, we have a lot of duties and commitments to take into account so that’s why we can’t let so many officers to be off at one time,” he said after the Selangor chief of police’s Hari Raya prayer this morning.
He said that today’s event, which began with the morning prayers followed by a catered feast, was specifically for police officers who would be away from home and working during the first day of Syawal.
“We want to celebrate together with the officers who didn’t get the chance to go home and celebrate with their family.
“So this way we can strengthen the ties among officers and they can encourage each other to carry out their duties during Raya even though they couldn’t go home,” he said.
According to Abdul Samah, up to 300 police officers from various departments within the Selangor police contingent attended, along with more from the public.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said this week that the June 28 grenade attack against the Movida bar in Puchong is the first confirmed Islamic State attack in the country.
