Residents urged to help fight crimes on Brunei waters

THE Marine Police Department is seeking the cooperation of residents living in the rivers of Brunei to effectively fight crime on Brunei's waters.

"The Brunei rivers are vast, and yet the number of our units are only so much. But with the cooperation of each community in assisting us in our operations, we can drastically reduce the crime rate in the Brunei waters," said Marine Police Commanding Officer Acting Senior Superintendent Amirrudin Hj Junaidi.

Chairing a dialogue session with leaders of various villages along the Brunei river in the Brunei-Muara District, he stressed the importance of the community's involvement, particularly for the village chiefs to create public awareness so that they can give the necessary support and assistance to the Marine Police Department in fighting crime on Brunei waters.

"Although we are always on the waters monitoring the rivers every 24 hours, the cooperation of the community will surely ease our operations in the five zones which we cover," he added.

The zones mentioned include the seas and beaches, the Brunei Bay, the Brunei River, Pulau Chermin and Kg Putat in Mukim Lumapas.

Common issues that arise in the said zones include alcohol smuggling, drugs and unlicensed broadcasting dishes, ships and boats making illegal entry to prohibited safety zones of oil platforms in the seas, offences under the Fisheries Act, illegal entering and leaving out of the country, and burglary, such as stealing boats, engines and fishing equipment.

Organised for the first time by the Marine Police at its department in Muara, the dialogue session was one of its initiatives in engaging the public and to ensure that their operations are carried out more efficiently by strengthening their relations with the mukim and village leaders.

It was also a platform for the community leaders to raise any concerns as well as give suggestions on improving the safeguarding of the community.

Such efforts are in line with the recent move by the Royal Brunei Police Force to strengthen the concept of community policing in Brunei.

Community policing is a strategy based on the notion that community interaction and support can help control crime and reduce fear, with community members helping to identify suspects, detain vandals and bring problems to the attention of police.

This method has been used worldwide and has proven to have successfully reduce crime and help to keep the public more safe.

Before the dialogue session began, the commanding officer made a presentation on the hierarchical structure and responsibilities of the Marine Police Department for the village chiefs to better understand the department's roles and duties.The Brunei Times