It was reported in the New Straits Times Newspaper yesterday that some 300 motorcyclists and about 50 pillion riders were nabbed by the Selangor police at the car park of the Stadium Melawati here in Shah Alam on 16th July, 2006 at around 7.30pm. These motorcyclists and pillion riders were believed to be involved in illegal street racing.
Kudos to the police on the crackdown as these motorcyclists (if indeed, are involved in illegal street racing) pose a real threat to the lives of other road users and their own. More of such operations ought to take place to weed out the illegal racers who can be a real nuisance when they speed down the streets (sometimes in neighbourhoods).
Next comes the shocking news. According to the traffic enforcement head, Chief Inspector Abdul Aziz Md Isa, about 30 policemen confiscated the motorcyclists' keys and forced the motorcyclists to push their motorcycles to the police headquarters. A distance of 5kms! Some of these motorcyclists are in their late teens and early 20s. Some of the pillion riders are under-aged girls.
Are the motorcyclists being punished without being charged? Why must they be forced to push their motorcycles for 5kms to the police headquarters? I would have imagined that for an operation of this size, the police would have got some lorries ready to load the motorcycles to the police headquarters.
Notwithstanding the fact that the operation to nab the suspected illegal street racers are commendable, the forcing of the motorcyclists and pillion riders to walk to the police headquarters for 5kms is downright abuse of powers!
Kudos to the police on the crackdown as these motorcyclists (if indeed, are involved in illegal street racing) pose a real threat to the lives of other road users and their own. More of such operations ought to take place to weed out the illegal racers who can be a real nuisance when they speed down the streets (sometimes in neighbourhoods).
Next comes the shocking news. According to the traffic enforcement head, Chief Inspector Abdul Aziz Md Isa, about 30 policemen confiscated the motorcyclists' keys and forced the motorcyclists to push their motorcycles to the police headquarters. A distance of 5kms! Some of these motorcyclists are in their late teens and early 20s. Some of the pillion riders are under-aged girls.
Are the motorcyclists being punished without being charged? Why must they be forced to push their motorcycles for 5kms to the police headquarters? I would have imagined that for an operation of this size, the police would have got some lorries ready to load the motorcycles to the police headquarters.
Notwithstanding the fact that the operation to nab the suspected illegal street racers are commendable, the forcing of the motorcyclists and pillion riders to walk to the police headquarters for 5kms is downright abuse of powers!
