PETALING JAYA: Two members of a vigilante group whose members dressed similarly as the police and carried out crime prevention patrols are expected to be charged in court on Friday.
Selangor police CID chief SAC Datuk Fadzil Ahmat said the two men, including the leader of a group called the Malaysian Crime and Drug Prevention Organisation or Pertubuhan Pencegahan Jenayah dan Dadah Malaysia (PDJM) will face charges at the Kajang magistrate’s court for possessing and selling police gear and uniform without permission under Section 89(c) of the Police Act 1967.
He said the men will also face charges for the misuse of police emblems under Section 5 of the Emblems and Names Act.
Both the charges carry a fine of between RM500 and RM1,000 and imprisonment of up to six months.
The acronym PDJM which was emblazoned on the vests of the group’s members also appeared to be similar to that of the police force which is PDRM.
Fadzil said a police report was received last week on videos of individuals attired in uniform similar to the police carrying out patrols in housing areas without supervision by the cops.
Fadzil said further checks by police in the group’s Facebook account revealed more photos of the individual in the uniform.
He said on Jan 29, three people including the group’s leader were arrested.
Fadzil said investigations showed that the group was registered with the Registrar of Societies and its leaders imposed membership fees on those who signed up as members.
“The sum for membership fees was not fixed and no record of its members were kept.
“This made it difficult to ascertain the number of members in the group. We advise the public to refrain from keeping or using uniforms of enforcement agencies without permission. Any street patrols or crime prevention activities planned by any party must be approved and advised accordingly by the police.” he said.
