23 March 2006, KOTA KINABALU: City Hall and the police have agreed to work closely to address the crime situation in the city particularly concerning problems caused by street kids to the public.

Mayor Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim said he was very happy that the police have given their assurance to cooperate with City Hall to help curb crime in the city.

He said this during a meeting between City Hall and the police led by Head of Administration at the Kepayan Police Headquarters, SACII Mohd Amin Abdullah, and the newly appointed City Police Chief, ACP Shah Gzali Khan Shahadad, at City Hall’s office in Centre Point on Thursday.

Also present at the meeting were Director-General for City Hall, Dr. Chua Kim Hing, his deputies, Hj. Hashim Paijan and Wan Maria Othman Lee, City Criminal Investigation Department Chief, Supt. Awang Besar Dullah, City Traffic and Public Order Chief, DSP M. Chandra, Deputy City Police Chief, Supt. Wong Chong Fui, and City Hall’s Heads of Department.

Among others during the one-hour meeting, Iliyas and his officers highlighted to the police some of the problems faced by City Hall in realizing its vision to make Kota Kinabalu City a safe place.

According to Iliyas, City Hall has received complaints from the public as well as tourists claiming to have been harassed by street kids.

“We have been receiving complaints from the public on the presence of street kids in the city harassing the public and tourists, especially women,” said Iliyas who also pointed out that their presence were also tarnishing the image of the city.

The nuisance caused by street kids, he said had been those harassing the public by demanding for money at car parks, glue sniffing, selling 4-Digit results and plastic bags as well as shoe shining in the city centre.

Iliyas said he is very concern of the problem and since he has outlined safety as one of the important agenda for City Hall, he called for a continuous cooperation between the police and City Hall to tackle the presence of street kids in the city.

Thanking Iliyas for highlighting the street kids issue to the police, Shah said in the short period since his posting here, he has noted that city is facing problems with the presence of street kids and illegal immigrants.

He however said that he was happy that the overall crime overall crime index in Kota Kinabalu City is still low compared to other cities in the country.

Shah, who replaced ACP Azizan Abu Taat as the new City Police Chief, agreed that the problem needs to be look into and agreed to work closely with City Hall to tackle the presence of street kids in the city.

“We (police) share the same vision with City Hall in wanting to rid the city of crime including street kids. In this respect, we hope to conduct regular patrols with City Hall enforcement personnel to eliminate the problem,” he explained.

He also said the police welcomed the plans by City Hall to introduce Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in the city and said the police would supply City Hall with the suitable locations for installations.

The meeting ended with both parties agreeing to form a “friendship-bridge” as smart cooperation between the police and City Hall to ensure Kota Kinabalu will become a safe city.