Muhamad Rizal (right) hands over the duties to Mervin in the presence of Aidil.
He said his men have been intensifying surveillance and operations against illegal gambling, especially targeting counters selling illegal four-digit (4D) lotteries.
“Based on our surveillance and assessment, illegal gambling activities in Padawan as a whole is not at a serious level yet.
“Therefore, I disagree with the allegation that some areas in Padawan are illegal gambling dens,” he said after witnessing the handover of duties to new Padawan District police deputy chief DSP Mervin Lisa at Siburan near here yesterday.
Aidel was responding to the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Women national vice-president Voon Shiak Ni’s statement that Batu Kawah New Township, Mile 4 and Mile 7 were among the top neighbourhood areas where illegal gambling activities had been going on for quite some time.
Voon said if not monitored closely, illegal gambling could ‘spring back into operation’ which the people were concerned about.
“The (illegal gambling) operators might go under the radar during the raids only to re-emerge when the situation cools down.
“I am in contact with nearly 20 neighbourhood crime watch groups, so I need to voice their concern,” she said.
Aidel said Voon’s allegation was based on public complaints, but police went to the ground to monitor the situation.
He said based on their assessment on the ground, no place in Padawan was bustling with illegal gambling activities.
“I believe the community in areas mentioned by Voon still have confidence in the police, and they agree that illegal gambling in their areas is still at a low level,” he said.
Aidel said his men had raided many places and they led to several arrests.
“Those arrested were referred to the gambling expert for case assessment before they submitted their investigation papers to the deputy public prosecutor (DPP) for the next course of action,” he said.
He assured that police would continue to monitor the situation from time to time.
Earlier, Padawan District police welcomed its new deputy chief Mervin, who took over from acting deputy chief ASP Muhamad Rizal Alias.
Prior to the appointment, Mervin served as head of the management division at Keningau District police in Sabah.
Mervin, who hails from Bau, joined the force as an inspector in 1996 and had served in several states in Peninsular Malaysia before his last posting in Sabah.
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