Over 1,000 APM members to be deployed in 'Ops Bantu XVI'

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 1,746 members of the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) will be deployed in "Ops Bantu XVI", an operation organised in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration, to assist road users in difficulties.
Its chief commissioner Major General (Rtd) Datuk Azmy Yahya said the operation to be conducted in two phases from Feb 14 to 15 and Feb 18 to 19, would involve patrols at 114 routes along federal and state roads.
"The APM members will act as emergency response teams (ERT) who will the first to arrive to assist those requiring emergency help for tyre leak, vehicle breakdown, minor accident and others," he told reporters after launching Ops Bantu XVI, here today.
According to Azmy 120 APM vehicles which included ambulances, four-wheel drive vehicles and motorcycles would be mobilised for the operation.
He said since its implementation in 2010 until last year, APM had handled 14,384 cases including fatal accidents, vehicle breakdowns and numerous other problems which proved that the operation had been effective.
In another development, he said APM was planning to send 400 members to assist security forces in safeguarding Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone), this March.
"Currently, the members are undergoing training and their role is to monitor and report on suspicious activities such as smuggling," he said. — Bernama