PPS team detained by police after Merdeka Day march
(The Rakyat Post) – Some 250 members of the Penang Voluntary Patrol Team or Pasukan Peronda Sukarela (PPS) have been hauled up by the police as soon as they finished their march-past for the Penang Merdeka celebrations in Penang Esplanade.
The 250 members, all wearing their trademark purple vests have been brought to the Lebuh Pantai police station before being taken to the Northeast district police headquarters for further action.
Northeast district police chief ACP Mior Faridalatrash Wahid confirmed the incident and said they were being investigated under the Societies Act 1966.
Last week, the Registrar of Societies (RoS) had declared the Penang’s voluntary patrol unit (PPS) as an unregistered body. Its director-general, Mohd Razin Abdullah, was reported as saying that the unit is an unlawful one.
“PPS has violated Section 41 of the Societies Act 1966, ” he had said in a brief statement.
On the police side, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the force had received a letter from the Registrar of Societies that the unit was an unregistered body.
He said police would investigate the patrol unit in a thorough manner.
It was learnt that the Penang police have received instructions to arrest all PPS members today.
A team of the police Federal Reserved Unit (FRU) have also been stationed at the Lebuh Pantai police station.
Yesterday, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at a PPS event in Komtar was reported as saying that the PPS should not be afraid of police action and the state would provide all the necessary assistance including legal help to them should they be arrested.
He said that PPS should continue with its services with the backup of the state government to ensure that Penang is safe through the state-run body’s commitment in assisting police in patrolling the streets in crime prevention.
The controversy surrounding PPS started when its members allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old businessman in Air Itam on Aug 18.
Several individuals also lodged five separate reports against the PPS over the abuse of power by the unit members.
