Police to release detailed SOP on mandatory face mask ruling
August 3, 2020 @ 8:30pm
PETALING JAYA: Police will soon release details of the standard operating procedure (SOP) for mandatory face mask use, with clear descriptions on the do's and don'ts.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Datuk Mazlan Mansor said they were in the midst of finalising more detailed guidelines and SOP for the mandatory mask directive, which came into effect on Aug 1.
The SOP, he said, would help allay the current confusion over the issue and help streamline the regulations.
He said there was still uncertainty among the public concerning the directive, such as when is it permissible not to use a face mask.
"The SOP we are drawing up will be used as a guideline to define the new regulations in detail. At the moment, we are using a lenient and case-to-case basis approach with regards to issuing compounds, which are at the discretion of the issuing officer.
"Usually, this is weighed by considering the effects the failure to wear a mask could bring to others or a particular surroundings. Soon, we will have this streamlined via the SOP guidelines," he told a press conference after a working visit to the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters here today.
Mazlan also touched on Thursday's arrest of Indonesian fugitive Djoko Soegiarto Tjandra - who had been on the run for 11 years - in Malaysia.
He confirmed the arrest but declined to elaborate.
"Yes, we arrested him and have handed him over to our counterparts in Indonesia for the legal process," he said.
Malaysia had earlier earned praise from Indonesian General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who said the arrest was possible due to the good cooperation between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the visit to the PJ police headquarters was a walk down memory lane for Mazlan, who once served as the PJ police chief.
After leaving the post in September 2007, he was promoted to the rank of Senior Assistant Commissioner II and became the new Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief the same year.
Also present during the visit were Selangor state police chief Datuk Noor Azam Jamaludin, his deputy Datuk Arjunaidi Mohamed, and Petaling Jaya police chief Assistant Commissioner Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal.