Deputy IGP: No more “hiding behind bushes” for speed traps

By Melissa Chi

April 23, 2011

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police says motorists will be warned about speed traps in the future. — rgbstock.com pic

KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — Traffic police will not be “hiding behind bushes” any more to trap speeding motorists, newly promoted Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said today.

He said that in a bid to be more transparent, motorists will be warned about speed traps.

“We should not be hiding behind bushes. We should come out in the open and enforce the law,” he told reporters at a community function called “A Day with the Police”.

Since September 2009, police have issued summons to over 2.5 million motorists, mainly through speed traps and speed cameras mounted along major highways and city streets.

The police and the Road Transport Department have the power to blacklist motorists three months after summonses are issued under the Road Transport Act, which will allow the authorities to either suspend their driving licence or refuse road tax renewal for their vehicles.

But blacklisting of car owners was deferred until the end of February and then extended until March 10 as the police offered discounts to those who settled their summonses.

About 10 million such summonses have reportedly been issued since 2000.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha had said the amendments to the Road Transport Act (RTA) effective February 1, enables the authorities to use snapshots from the speed camera system, which is known as the Automated Enforcement System (AES), as court evidence to punish motorists for traffic offences.

It is reported that outstanding summonses have reached a total of RM2 billion from the year 2000 to 2008.