KUCHING, Feb 7: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) public complaint bureau (PCB) has called for strict enforcement of the Second Hand Dealer’s Act to curb electric cable theft.
Bureau chief Wilfred Yap cited areas in Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) as an example, where numerous complaints have been received from residents at 7th Mile Bazaar on electric cables at Kota Sentosa Town Square being stolen.
“The theft of electric cables has affected the resident, where the local community not being able to carry out their recreational activities at the town square.
“Those affected have requested for MPP to urgently replace the stolen electric cables,” he said in a statement.
Following the complaints, Yap together with other sub-branch members of SUPP 7th Mile inspected the site to assess the situation.
“The problem of the stolen electricity wires at Kota Sentosa Town Square has been communicated to the engineering department of MPP and the stolen electric cables are in the process of being replaced by the council,” he added.
Yap said the problem of electric cable theft at Kota Sentosa Town Square was not an isolated case.
He added that in the past, during a standing committee meeting at MPP, the bureau made a request with the police representative who attended the meeting to step up efforts to stringently monitor the activities of recycle dealers, as they provide an avenue for thieves to sell their stolen electric wires or cables.
“If the police start checking closely on these recycle dealers, they will think twice about buying stolen electric wires or cables.
“It is also timely for the police to further tighten the law and impose stricter rules and regulations on those recycling companies involved in the buying and selling of recyclable electric cables and scrap metal to keep proper records of the source of their purchases,” Yap said.
He believed that efforts must also be stepped up by the police in terms of security, through more patrolling in frequently affected public facility areas.
“Tight enforcement is the solution to overcome this issue,” he continued. — DayakDaily
