‘High’ tech way to fight crime
KUALA LUMPUR: The police are giving high priority to their crime prevention initiatives – literally.
Police drones will soon take the skies to keep tabs on what is happening on the ground, said Bukit Aman’s Management Department director Comm Datuk Seri Zulkifli Abdullah.
In an interview with The Star, Comm Zulkifli said surveillance drones would be a third unit after the Motorcycle Patrol Unit (URB) and Mobile Patrol Vehicle (MPV) in the Royal Malaysian Police’s efforts in combating crime.
“Currently, we have the URB and MPV units in place. They’re effective but the drones will be our eyes in the sky.
“We can keep an eye over bigger areas and save costs at the same time,” he said
“With drones, MPVs need not be on patrol all the time. They can monitor crime from one spot and move in when they see anything happening.
“It saves petrol, too,” he said.
Comm Zulkifli said several drones had been purchased since Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar’s announcement last year that the force would be procuring new assets.
“The drones will be tested and placed under the care of the Air Operational Force (PGU).
“This is because PGU officers are pilots and are licensed to operate big drones.
“Under the 11th Malaysia Plan, we plan to buy drones that are bigger and more durable,” he explained.
Comm Zulkifli said the drones would be used for surveillance in rallies or other occasions when police personnel found it difficult to reach certain areas for crime prevention duties.
“Some criminals study our patterns – they know our patrolling schedules and the routes we use.
“If we use drones for surveillance, they won’t be able to do that as the area of coverage would be wider,” he added.
Comm Zulkifli said the drones would be able to record crimes as they happened, before a nearby MPV or URB was dispatched to the scene.
“We might also use drones to complement the initiatives of the ‘modern police stations’,” Comm Zulkifli said.
