Enforcement Officers From KL & PJ Health Dept Will Now Document Smoking Offences Using Body Cameras

By Lara Lindemann  •  22 Dec 2022 in News

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Think twice before you light up, because this new tactic targeting individuals who breach smoking laws might just change the game.

Body cameras are now being employed by enforcement agents from the Putrajaya Health Department and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur to tackle smoking-related violations. It is reported that this new practice was first implemented on December 12.

The department’s director, Dr. Nor’Aishah Abu Bakar, declared in a statement released on Tuesday (December 20) that the video recordings and pictures will be used as proof and supporting documentation to guarantee the safety and integrity of law enforcement personnel.

According to her, 147 smoking infringement notices were issued between December 12 and December 20 as a consequence of 10 enforcement operations carried out in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

She claimed that out of those, 140 notices were sent out for the offence of smoking in prohibited areas, in compliance with Regulation 11(1) of the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004.

A total of seven notices were issued for the infraction of Regulation 13, which prohibits minors from purchasing, using, or possessing any tobacco products. She emphasised that Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya will maintain the enforcement of the smoking prohibitions at malls, rest areas, and restaurants.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has prompted witnesses to crimes and violations of this sort to lodge complaints via WhatsApp at 010-860 8949.

The matter has also led Malaysians to believe that police officers in Malaysia might soon start donning body cams as well, seeing as the government had allocated RM30 million earlier this month for the purchase of body cameras for use by on-duty police officers.

Daniel Powter once said, “The camera don’t lie”- so could this indicate effective crime prevention in Malaysia? We’ll have to wait and see.