No excuses, Melaka police say after RM10,000 compound on teenager

Police acted within the provisions of the Emergency (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 when they issued a RM10,000 compound to a teenager in Melaka for violating Covid-19 SOPs, says state deputy police chief Shahrul Lalli Masduki.

He said no one should manipulate the issue and insinuate that police had acted harshly against the 17-year-old schoolboy.

“The SOP to curb the spread of Covid-19 has been disseminated widely to the public through mass media and other forms of communication, both to the young and old.

“So, it would not be fair to blame the police and claim that we are cruel and intolerant because we take action based on the SOP. There is no excuse for individuals to claim ignorance if they are issued compounds,” he told reporters today.

He was commenting on a news report about a Form Five student who was compounded for failing to register his details before entering a grocery shop in Batu Berendam to purchase some paracetamol for his mother on Sunday.

He said 21 individuals, aged 17 to 53, were slapped with a RM10,000 compound each for various types of SOP violations in Melaka between March 12 and yesterday.

“40% of them were issued compounds for not wearing face masks, 30% for not scanning the MySejahtera app or registering their personal details and another 30% for other violations, including not practising physical distancing,” he said.