IGP fully supports move to strengthen drink driving law

SEPANG: Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador welcomes the government’s decision to impose heavier penalties for offences related to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and reckless driving.

“I fully support the move by the Transport Ministry to strengthen the law. In western countries, the issue of driving under the influence is seen as something serious, so why not we take the same stand?

“If we don’t take stringent action against irresponsible people, more will become victims.”

He told reporters this after attending the Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) Aviation Security Squad (AVSEC) 26/2019 basic training completion assembly at Bunga Raya Complex at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today.

On Wednesday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the government would be reviewing the Road Transport Act to include an assessment of blood alcohol content standards, heavier penalties as well as the effectiveness of awareness campaigns.

Loke had described the current blood alcohol content standards in Malaysia as “quite liberal". The country’s current threshold is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml blood.

Loke said they were looking to adopt the World Health Organisation standard, in which the prescribed limit is 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

The minister also said he hoped to table the bill in Parliament in the June or July sitting.

Under existing law, offenders face a fine of between RM8,000 and RM20,000 and a jail term of between three and 10 years.

Meanwhile, Hamid said the police would conduct more training with MAHB security personnel to better safeguard security at the country’s main entry points.

“MAHB has a manpower of 4,120 people nationwide. With this, they have successfully supported the KLIA district police station and other police stations set up at the country’s international airports in controlling, maintaining and ensuring security at the country’s main entry points.

“As a result of the commitment and collaboration between the police and AVSEC, the KLIA district police station has recorded a drop in crime index of 10.84 per cent, from 83 cases in 2018 to 74 cases in 2019,” he added.