The police are advising the public to notify them if they balik kampung to celebrate this Hari Raya Aidilfitri, as home break-in cases are expected to increase during this festival season.
Sentul district police chief, ACP Beh Eng Lai revealed that people had been staying at home during the festive season for the past two years due to the Movement Control Order (MCO) enforced nationwide, which resulted in less burglary cases.
However, Beh said the police expected a tougher time during this Aidilfitri as it has been two years since the public are allowed to travel back home to their hometown.
“After two years of not being able to balik kampung, we expect many houses this year will be left empty (during the festive season). This is a challenge for the police – to protect houses against robberies,” he was quoted saying by Bernama.
In an effort to address this, Beh said the police have launched the Rumah Selamat Campaign nationwide, where they will carry out periodic patrol to eradicate home break-ins during this Raya holiday.
The campaign is launched nationwide today in conjunction with the Aidilfitri season.
Under this campaign, the police will be conducting spot checks and regular patrols in registered neighbourhoods during the holiday season.
According to Beh, some 106 police officers will be involved in the campaign, patrolling hot spots such as Jinjang, Kepong and Sentul.
“We have informed the local communities about the campaign to encourage those who would be going back to their hometowns to register their homes. We will check on registered houses at least once a day.”
“The form is available at the nearest Kawasan Rukun Tetangga (neighbourhood watch area) or can be accessed online via Facebook and Whatsapp,” he said.
Apart from that, Beh also advised the public to take extra precaution by ensuring their homes are properly locked up before they leave and that the premises are well-lit. He also suggested those who can afford it to install CCTV security cameras at their house.
