A 36-year-old man was arrested and remanded for three days after allegedly hurling abusive words against a policeman who issued him a summons for committing a road offence.
According to Johor Bahru Selatan District Police Chief (JBS), Assistant Commissioner Mohd Padzli Mohd Zain, the incident happened during ‘Operasi Lampu Merah’ that was carried out at Jalan Mutiara Emas Putih at 11pm on 17 December, reported Harian Metro.
He said the suspect’s car number plate was found not following specifications while the exhaust pipe was found to be modified. The traffic police then issued two summonses for the offences. However, the suspect became upset and decided to record a video of the traffic officer.
“The owner of the car was not satisfied because he was summoned and recorded a video of the traffic officer involved who was on duty,” Mohd Padzli said.
“When he was about to leave, the owner of the car hurled abusive words in a loud tone.”
In the video, the man can be heard saying that he has been using his car for 10 years and the authorities did not tell him that his number plate did not follow the specifications. The man can also be heard saying that he has a valid road tax and driving licence.
In a second video, the man makes a scene and questions why the officer did not issue summons to other cars that apparently had tinted windows and faulty number plates as well.
Mohd Padzli said the officer from the Investigation and Traffic Enforcement Division of the Johor Bahru Selatan District Police Headquarters (IPD) (JBS) then lodged a police report.
On the other hand, the suspect also lodged a police report at the Setia Indah Police Station, but was arrested for investigation instead.
Mohd Padzli said that a review of past criminal records showed that the suspect had a criminal record involving drug cases. He added that a urine test was done on the suspect but the results came out negative.
“The suspect was remanded for three days from yesterday (19 December) until tomorrow (21 December) and the case is being investigated according to Section 186 of the Penal Code and Section 14 of the Minor Offenses Act 1955,” he said.
On 15 December, PDRM in Johor began the operation to hunt down vehicle owners who use number plates that do not follow the specifications.
This includes tampering with the licence plate of a vehicle by changing the letters and numbers and the spacing, making it confusing and difficult to read. When speeding or accident cases take place that involves criminal activity and there is a need to identify the vehicle’s number plate, suspects may escape the penalty.
Owners of fancy vehicle numbers can be prosecuted under Section 14(4) of the Road Transport Act 1987, Rule 6(1) LN173/69 and Section 108(3)(F) 1987.
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