Making hotels safe for all
16 Decmber 2021
THE Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang Chapter is working with the police to tackle crime through a campaign known as CRASH.
Otherwise known as ‘Creating Relationships And Safe Hotels’, the community policing effort is aimed at making hotels safer for both guests and employees.
MAH Penang chairman K. Raj Kumar said while majority of hotel guests are upstanding citizens, there have been cases of some being involved in illegal activities such as credit card fraud, forgery, online gambling, drug use, robbery and prostitution.
He said as hoteliers, it was part of their responsibility to identify and eradicate criminal elements at their premises.
“We want to create a safe environment for the community and tourists,” he said at a press conference at a hotel in George Town.
Raj Kumar said MAH Penang would also educate hotel staff on how to maintain their safety when dealing with criminal elements as well as how to observe, gather information and report suspicious activities.
“If everyone does due diligence, we can thwart potential problems.”
Penang deputy police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Fisol Salleh (middle) speaking at the press conference. With him are State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Rahimi Ra’ais (left) and MAH Penang chairman K. Raj Kumar (right). (9 Dec 2021) — Photo by JEREMY TAN/THE STAR
Penang deputy police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Fisol Salleh said there were a handful of these cases reported last year and this year.
“We are aware of such illegal activities and want to clamp down on them.
“By working together with hoteliers, we can identify problems early and ensure they won’t happen anymore,” he said.
Under the collaboration, police personnel will undertake more frequent patrolling of hotel vicinities.
The police will also conduct training sessions pertaining to hotel-related laws, surveillance, evaluation of potential problems, response to calls for assistance or crimes in progress, parking lot patrols and more.
Earlier, Penang police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain chaired a meeting between police personnel and hotel security department heads of MAH Penang members on the CRASH campaign.
Also present was state Criminal Investigation Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Rahimi Ra’ais.
https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2021/12/16/making-hotels-safe-for-all
