KUALA LUMPUR: Police have warned that those who breach travel restrictions of the conditional movement control order (CMCO) by making trips between districts or states are doing so at a high risk of being fined.
Federal police Internal Security and Public Order Department director Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Rahim Jaafar said yesterday the absence of multiple police checkpoints at every other road did not mean the authorities are being lax in enforcing the CMCO and the public could travel as they wish.
“We have personnel who carry out mobile roadblocks. These on-the-go patrols are constantly on the lookout and carry out random checks on motorists to see if they cross borders without travel permits,” he told theSun yesterday.
Without such permits or letters from employers that allow them to do so, it is illegal for them to travel between districts or states.
“Perhaps they may get lucky and escape action for breaching the SOP (standard operating procedure) but they might not be so fortunate the next time when they are flagged at our mobile roadblocks. They risk getting fined. The SOP of the CMCO is clear on this. Only travel within a district is allowed.”
Abd Rahim said he had personally checked the entry points of all states and found there are static roadblocks in place to ensure motorists comply with the travel restrictions.
As for outstation travel for emergencies such as to visit a sick family member or attend a funeral, he said the SOP remains the same where a travel permit is needed prior to the journey.
Several motorists had confessed and even boasted on social media that they had freely made trips between states and did not encounter any police checkpoints.
Others had voiced their concerns on social media if such breach of travel restrictions can thwart efforts to control the pandemic.
It is learnt that an average of 60 motorists are fined daily for flouting travel restrictions.
