Sunday, Dec 09, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR - Selangor police are on alert for motorists who have fitted a new gadget that obscures a vehicle's number plates at the press of a button.
Selangor police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah said all policemen on patrol have been ordered to be alert for vehicles fitted with the gadget to evade traffic laws and avoid being caught on speed trap cameras.
"Tampering of number plates is an offence. Our men have been ordered to weed out such errant motorists. The police force will not tolerate such disobedience of the law. We will come down hard on those caught with the gadget," he said.
DCP Tun Hisan, who attended the "Women Self-Defence Awareness Empowerment" programme at Serdang District police headquarters yesterday, added that such motorists were a menace to other road users.
"It's worrisome, as criminals could fit it in their cars to block out their number plates when they commit robberies. Motorists found with the gadget will be escorted to the nearest police station where the gadget will be dismantled and seized. We will also investigate the driver," he said.
Yesterday, The Star front-paged an article titled "Automated Escape System" about a gadget being sold online via Facebook, designed to help errant motorists break traffic laws and avoid being identified on camera.
The Taiwan-made device is billed as a "burglar-proof licence plate" but it might as well be called an "automated escape system" for speed fiends. Users are supposed to activate it when they see a warning sign of a speed trap camera.
A black material then scrolls down to cover the plate.
The Star has also been informed that motorists who have fitted the gadget have also gone one step further in different letters and numbers on the canvas screen.
That way, another vehicle owner would be penalised for their offence.
Meanwhile, two AES cameras were found to be sprayed with red paint.
Sepang OCPD Supt Imran Abdul Rahman said the cameras, located at KM301.6 of the PLUS highway near Sungai Besi and KM6.6 on the South Klang Valley Expressway highway, were vandalised during a check by contractors from Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd.
"We received a call at 8.30am. They told us that the front of the cameras, which has a speed detector sensor, camera and flash function, had been sprayed red," he said yesterday
