Padawan cops allowed enforcement discretion in first few days of tighter MCO

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KUCHING: Police in Padawan district will use their discretion before issuing compounds in the first few days of tighter inter-zone movement restrictions which came into effect on Tuesday (May 25).

Padawan deputy police chief DSP Lim Jaw Shyong said this was because the new standard operating procedures (SOP) were announced on Monday (May 24) and the public needed time to apply for police permits.

“We understand that it will take time for the message to get across. So in the first one or two days, we will use our discretion and give advice on how to apply for permits and what categories are permitted to travel between zones.

“We may start issuing compounds after one or two days, but it depends on the situation and specific cases,” he said when met at a roadblock at Mile 14 Jalan Kuching-Serian here early Tuesday.

As part of the tighter SOP to curb the spread of Covid-19, the state disaster management committee announced that the Kuching zone, which previously comprised the adjoining Kuching, Samarahan and Serian divisions, would be divided into four smaller zones.

The new zones are Kuching, which covers Kuching district and Samarahan division, Serian (Serian division), Lundu (Lundu district) and Bau (Bau district).

A police permit is required for movement between these four zones for essential services, workers and emergency purposes.

DSP Lim said Padawan police had set up two roadblocks to monitor inter-zone movement from Serian to Kuching and from Bau to Kuching.

He said police would only issue permits for the three categories specified under the SOP.

“For people working in adjacent zones, for example those who live in Serian and work in Kuching, they can apply for a permit with a letter from their employer,” he said.

He advised the public to comply with the SOP and not to travel between zones if they did not fall into the three categories.



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