KUCHING: Many more checks will be carried out on budget hotels to ensure they are not used by criminals to hide or to carry out their naughty activities.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Dato’ Amer Bin Haji Awal said from his experience in Johore, budget hotels are used by criminals to hide and carry out their naughty activities.
“Sometimes missing girls are found in budget hotels. Searched by their families, they are not be found. Sometimes they are found at budget hotels. They are looking for protection and traced by the police. So sometime, budget hotels become a place for criminals,” he told a press conference during his visit to Kuching District Police Headquarters at Simpang Tiga here yesterday.
It was his first visit to KPD Kuching after taking the post of Sarawak Commissioner of Police on July 17.
According to Amer, when these criminals register and stay, the hotels are not aware of who they really are. “But when we check the hotels, sometime we found substance of evidence from house breaking. Budget hotels are cheap and they don’t stay in expensive hotels.
“After their works are over in a while, after that they will go home or to their destination to continue again,” he revealed.
“We see that it is not wrong for us (the police) to check budget hotels. It is also good and the people like it and the budget hotel owners also like it when they see police doing their duties.
“ But if there is information, we will go,” he added.
According to Amer, the crime situation in Kuching is under control. Based on the Crime Index, Kuching District recorded a drop of minus 20 cases or minus 14.18 per cent this for the first seven months compared to the same period in 2016.
“I had been assured by the District Police chief that the best service would be provided to the local community.
He said focus is given to the district tourism activities are actively carried out in the district day after day and also during weekends.
“And in this effort, I had discussed with him and with several of my senior officers and my heads of departments including the Head of the JPJKK Community Policing in effort to set up Police Bicycle Patrol at the Waterfront area and hotels areas in the area,” he said.
Amer said the purpose is to show the presence of the police in those areas and at the same time give assurance to the tourists specially the foreign tourists.
Apart from the patrol by police on bicycles, he said, there will also be the Police Motorcycle Patrol Unit. Mobile Patrol Vehicle and personnel on general duty at tourists places.
“So the tourists won’t have to feel scared or worried as they are in the safe hands of the police who are doing patrol in the said areas,” he said.
During the visit yesterday, Amer officially launched the Police Patrol on Bicycle which made up of 20 personnel and they will be working on shift duty from 3pm to 6pm.
He said the Patrol Unit will also be located at other places where there are tourists.
