SARAWAK POLICE READY FOR CHRISTMAS AND MONSOON SEASON

KUCHING, Dec 22 (Bernama) -- The involvement of 700 personnel and officers from the Sarawak Police Contingent in a six-day Road Safety Advocacy Campaign starting tomorrow will not affect the force's preparations for the Northeast Monsoon (MTL) season.

Sarawak Deputy Police Commissioner DCP Saifullizan Ishak stated that early planning has allowed personnel assignments to be distributed in stages without compromising readiness for potential disasters, particularly in high-risk areas.

“The assignments for the advocacy programme and other initiatives do not interfere with our MTL preparations because planning was done well in advance based on experiences from previous years,” he told reporters today after attending a programme to distribute free helmets, donated by the Social Security Organisation (Socso), to motorcyclists.

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He added that for the monsoon season, all assigned personnel remain on high alert, including in terms of logistics, monitoring flood-prone areas, and coordinating with relevant agencies.

Regarding the current situation, he noted that conditions in Sarawak remain under control with no reports of flooding, though police continue to monitor the situation, especially in flood "hotspots."

Meanwhile, Saifullizan revealed that fatal accidents in the state increased by 19 cases, with 348 cases recorded from January to November this year compared to the same period last year.

“The primary cause of accidents - accounting for 80 percent - is driver negligence. This is followed by an increase in the number of vehicles (30 percent) and factors such as weather, road conditions, and terrain (5 percent),” he said.

-- BERNAMA