Saturday November 7, 2009
Ninja Squad keeps streets safe
By AUSTIN CAMOENS
JOHOR BARU: Police here have formed a special Ninja Squad in an effort to curb wayside robberies, including snatch thefts, in the city.
The unit, equipped with nine Kawasaki KLX250 scrambler motorcycles, patrol the streets wearing full-faced helmets, jeans and boots.
The 16-man team from the Johor Baru (South) district police headquarters is usually deployed at crime hotspots in the city.
Chief Insp Mohd Saufi Mohd Kassim, who leads the squad, said the team was formed three months ago.
Patrolling ninjas:A team of personnel from the Ninja Squad doing their rounds at Johor Baru city centre. “The squad was created to combat street crime within the crime-prone areas in the city,” he said.
C/Insp Mohd Saufi said the team regularly patrolled areas around Larkin, Pelangi and the city centre.
He said the team had to wear casual attire because it helped them move about easily.
“The idea of the squad was mooted by Johor Baru (South) OCPD Assistant Commissioner Zainuddin Yaakob.
“He takes the team deep into the jungle once a week for training exercises with their machines,” he said, adding that the training was important to ensure that squad members adapt well to their high-powered motorcycles.
When asked why the team was called Ninja Squad, C/Insp Mohd Saufi said the name was actually given by the public.
“Many members of the public started calling the team ‘ninja’ probably because of their full-faced helmets and appearance,” he said, adding that the name has since stuck.
ACP Zainuddin said each bike costs around RM23,000 and was capable of being ridden on different terrain.
“Our team has been very successful in tackling crime as we have apprehended snatch thieves and other criminals,” he said, adding that his team was the pioneer in the country to use scrambler bikes to fight crime.
ACP Zainuddin added that the success of the team even prompted state police chief Deputy Commissioner Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff to set up similar teams in other districts.
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