PHOTOS of interstate travel forms ‘pre-approved’ by the police – with required information to be filled in left blank – have been circulating online on several social media platforms lately.
The first case, according to The Star, involved a photo posted on Instagram showing a blank pre-signed and stamped form.
It is also believed that the signature of the Chukai police station chief was forged and used to give permission to allow a woman to travel interstate to Kuala Lumpur to attend an interview.
On the same day, another blank interstate travel permit that was ‘pre-signed and approved by the police’ surfaced online, also on Instagram, as reported by Malay Mail.
The second case involved the Shah Alam police station and another police officer’s name that was being falsely used. This case is now being investigated by the police as well.
With interstate travel still not being allowed under the latest movement control order (MCO), this is disturbing news, as this shows that people are willing to do whatever it takes – even to the point of forging an authoritative figure’s signature – just to cross state borders.
While there is a possibility that both are isolated cases, what is stopping this from becoming a nationwide trend?
To begin with, the police are already so lax when it comes to interstate travels, so it would not be a surprise if anyone managed to sneak pass the police to cross state borders with fake police permits.
When my brother and I had sent my elderly parents home to Segamat, Johor following a medical appointment last week, for example, we had gone through great lengths to procure the relevant documentations, including a doctor’s letter.
Much to our surprise (and dismay), we were not stopped at any state borders – not even once during our three-hour journey across four states to reach Segamat.
The journey back up to Selangor, too, proved uneventful, despite the effort we had taken to get our permits signed and stamped at the Segamat police station. What’s worse, we were hardly spared a second glance at the police check point!
If the authorities are already so relaxed at this point, how can they even tell if the permits carry a fake or genuine signature and stamp?
If it had been this easy to cross state borders, what is going to stop people from trying, or doing the same closer to the Hari Raya festive season?
While it is important to root out the culprits behind the fake police permit incidents, more effort should be put into beefing up roadblock screenings, especially at state border checkpoints.
This is considering the number of COVID-19 cases that seems to be on the rise again, if the numbers recorded in the past few weeks are of any indication.
Therefore, the authorities, too, must play their part – including punishing those who fake their police permits and enforcing stricter measures – to make sure that a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections does not happen. – April 15, 2021
