VVIP names used to hunt in restricted areas, says IGP

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Abdul Hamid Bador said names of “VVIPs” have been used by individuals to trespass into restricted areas to hunt wildlife.

He has since ordered his men to lodge an official report if these incidents were to happen again.

“It was raised earlier in the meeting by a representative, whose name I do not have to mention, that his subordinates have had their duties disturbed by certain individuals who name-dropped the names of VVIPs to allow them to enter restricted areas to hunt," Hamid said at the Police Training Centre in Kuala Lumpur after attending a meeting on Operasi Bersepadu Khazanah today.

“I have issued an order that if this were to happen again, they need to make an official report so that action can be taken (against those individuals).” 

The IGP said he has advised his subordinates not to be fearful and to carry out their duties accordingly.

“If the area is restricted, do not let anyone in. If they are stubborn, arrest them. Those were my orders. Simple,” he said.

Hamid also said he welcomes any tip-offs from the public or NGOs on the involvement of any VVIPs in poaching activities.

If the police were to receive any such information, he said they would handle it according to the law.

At the same time, the IGP strongly urged those with a firearm licence to stop hunting as a hobby, even though there were conditions imposed on the licence to allow them to hunt.

Aside from using firearms for self-defence or to eradicate crop pests, he said the police were looking to either get rid of the conditions that allow hunting or to tighten those conditions.

“This is my warning to hunters with licensed firearms. I am in the process of cancelling these conditions that allow the use of firearms to hunt. I am in the process of retracting them stage by stage.

“Even if (the conditions) are still there, I will tighten them, for example by imposing hunting seasons, but, I have to say, why do we still need to hunt?

“It is time for Malaysians to stop treating hunting as a hobby. Stop it, enough. We already have a lot of food in tins — chicken, beef, mutton.

“I also have many friends who like to hunt, I will school them to stop. Find another hobby lah,” Hamid urged repeatedly.

Recently, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Protection (Perhilitan) proposed a six-month hunting season on wild boars instead of allowing them to be hunted year-round.

Hamid said this was a good move on Perhilitan’s part, pointing out that this should be done to allow wild boars time to breed and replenish its numbers.

“Wild boars are the food of tigers. Wild boars also contribute to the ecology. We should not think that wild boars are pests, they are not. They have a role to play," the IGP said.

“There are plenty of pork meat in cities, why do we need to destroy wild boars?” 

Even though those who are using firearms to defend against crop pests will still be allowed to do so, they should only use firearms as a last resort, he said.

“Those who are using firearms to defend from crop pests, I do not encourage them to shoot monkeys or wild boars which enter (their farms).

“If you can, just chase them away, use another method. It is not good for us to shoot animals like monkeys and deer,” he said.

The IGP said he was in the process of consulting with his firearms licensing department to identify the criteria that allows hunting in the firearms licence. 

That is also why, he said, he included the police’s legal department in the Operasi Bersepadu Khazanah meeting so they can discuss how to better harmonise environmental laws and laws on exotic flora and fauna.

“This is a holistic approach, not just from a legal perspective but also in terms of enforcement from our part. I have to take action.” 

Operasi Bersepadu Khazanah, which is a joint effort by the police, Perhilitan, Customs Department, Sarawak Forestry Corporation and Sabah Wildlife Department, was launched in the third quarter of last year.

It has since seen the arrest of 102 people with a total of 56 cases related to illegal wildlife trade. - Mkini