KOTA BARU: As many as 70,000 officers and personnel from various agencies are ready to be deployed to deal with the possible flooding due to the north-east monsoon, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
He said the number who will be on duty during monsoon season includes the police with 21,018 personnel; the Malaysian Armed Forces (18,500); the Fire and Rescue Department (15,000); the Civil Defence Force (10,500); and the People’s Volunteer Corps (4,400).
“We have asked for assistance from several agencies because we are aware that many police personnel will be involved in the 15th General Election (GE15).
“We have also asked for help to use assets from the agencies involved, such as lorries, boats and air assets,” Hamzah told Bernama after attending the GE15 briefing for the monsoon season at the Kelantan police contingent headquarters here yesterday.
Also present were Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani and the Home Ministry’s secretary-general, Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.
Commenting further, Hamzah said his ministry had identified as many as 5,500 hotspots at risk of flooding nationwide, including 186 areas at risk of the water surge phenomenon.
“We have studied several strategies to ensure that the people can put their trust in the police because we are prepared to face the possibility of a disaster due to heavy rainfall,” he said.
