Can 300 SPAD enforcement officers cover West Malaysia?
(fz.com) – With only 300 personnel throughout the whole of Peninsular Malaysia and more than half of that based in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, does the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) have the strength to make a dent in the slew of public transport problems facing the nation?
Its enforcement general manager Major General Datuk Che Hasni Che Ahmad told fz.com that he only has 105 enforcement agents to monitor the Central Zone consisting of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Southern Perak and Northern Negeri Sembilan.
When compared to the Road Transport Department (JPJ) that can mobilise 1,500 enforcement agents just to go undercover for Chinese New Year, SPAD’s lack of personnel is really telling, raising the question of whether or not it can perform its duties effectively.
During an operation to bust errant taxi drivers last Tuesday, Che Hasni admitted that cases of taxis refusing to use their meters are on the increase. This operation alone saw 29 out of 30 taxi drivers checked found to be committing offences from not using their meters to not carrying a taxi driver’s identification card.
One 35-year-old man was even caught twice on the same day for not using his meter – a first for SPAD.
If that was not enough, he tested positive for syabu and has been referred to the relevant authorities.
“This year we have caught 144 taxi drivers and the statistics are rising. Around 60% of the cases have been compounded or were brought to court. You have to understand, each case needs two to three months before completion as there is a lot of paperwork to do.
“After that, we still have to submit the investigation papers to the deputy public prosecutor who will decide what to do with the case,” said Che Hasni.
