Govt urged to review proposal on banning 'kap chai' in KL city centre

PUCHONG: The Royal Malaysian Police want the government to review the proposal on banning small-powered motorcycles or 'kap chai' into the federal capital to reduce carbon emissions and prevent snatch theft cases.
Its Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department director, Datuk Rusli Ahmad said the authorities needed to consider other factors such as the low-income bracket using such motorcycles.
"In terms of safety, we're not denying that imposing such a ban can reduce snatch theft cases as previous studies revealed that most of the offenders were kap chai riders," he told reporters after handing over walkie-talkies to the Malaysian Voluntary Community Policing Association, here, today.
Also present were the association's president Kuan Chee Heng and Subang Jaya district police chief ACP Mohammad Azlin Sadari.
Rusli said the proposed ban might be appropriate to impose at crowded areas such as the night markets and public event venues because such places would attract snatch thieves riding the 'kap chai'.
"The authorities may bar these kap chai motorcycles from entering the crowded places at certain times only and not the entire area of the city centre," he said.
Earlier, the association received 100 units of walkie-talkies, 20 patrol motorcycles and three ambulances which were donated by individuals for crime prevention operations in Selangor, Penang and Kedah.
Kuan said the association would only charge 10 sen to the poor for the ambulance service, while the walkie-talkies would be used during crime prevention patrols.
Yesterday, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor was quoted by a local daily as saying that his ministry might consider disallowing kap chai riders from entering the KL city centre as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions and prevent snatch thefts. — Bernama