Although more people are complying with the movement control order (MCO) in Petaling Jaya, there are still a handful who could not resist going out.
“The compliance level in certain areas such as Taman Medan, Taman Dato’ Harun, Ara Damansara and Damansara Damai is now at 90%.
“This is quite an improvement from last week when compliance in these areas was only at about 50%,” Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal said after an operation to ensure compliance with the MCO on Wednesday (April 1) night.
“Before 10pm, police will advise and issue warnings for the public not to leave their homes. After that, if there are still people who refuse to comply, we will arrest them,” he added.
In the operation that started at around 9pm, police arrested 12 people aged between 20 and 52.
Two of those arrested said they were looking for instant noodles while another claimed to be looking for cigarettes.
Police also managed to nab a 52-year-old suspect wanted in connection with a robbery in Endau, while another man was detained with a bottle of liquid believed to be derived from ketum leaves.
Those arrested were taken to the police station to be processed.
About 52 police personnel took part in the operation.
Meanwhile, Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Seri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, who dropped in to check on the operation, said he was disappointed to hear people giving unreasonable excuses.
“No one is going to believe that you are out buying bread, drinks or cigarettes at 10pm or 11pm. You are letting down everyone when you do this, especially when we are trying to stop the disease from spreading further,” he said.
In the second phase of the MCO, businesses selling essentials are only allowed to operate between 8am and 8pm.
“People must comply with the MCO to help curb the spread of Covid-19.
“We are now fighting something which cannot be seen (the Covid-19) outbreak, and we cannot relax our efforts to bring down the number of cases to zero,” Acryl Sani said.
Meanwhile, Petaling Jaya District Police Chief, ACP Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal said police have identified several locations in the district which were “red zones” where there were still people who refused to comply with the MCO.