Police station gates to close after 10 pm - Saifuddin

KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry has instructed that the gates of all police stations in the country to be closed after 10 pm as a security measure following the attack on Ulu Tiram police station.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the order was issued to balance the needs of the public and the safety of the personnel on duty.

"We need to balance (security measures) as police stations are places where the public lodge reports but at the same time, they can be targets, so we need to balance both these needs.

"Regarding the incident in Ulu Tiram, there were two individuals dealing with police personnel (at the station) during the attack," he said during the question-and-answer session at Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying Datuk Seri Richard Riot's (GPS-Serian) initial question about security measures at police stations in the country following the May 17 attack where a 21-year-old masked man armed with a machete was killed after murdering police constables Ahmad Azza Fahmi Azhar, 22, and Muhamad Syafiq Ahmad Said, 24, as well as injuring corporal Mohd Hasif Roslan.

He said the Royal Malaysian Police had acted immediately to tighten standard operating procedures in all district police headquarters, police stations and main police premises following the attack.

These include the frequency of patrols in police station areas and the need to study the current conditions of police station facilities, such as lighting and fencing, for improvement.

-- BERNAMA