Kota Kinabalu: The public, especially those in residential areas who are found possessing or setting off firecrackers and fireworks without permit during the coming Chap Goh Mei celebration, will face the music.State Customs Department, together with the police in Kota Kinabalu and Penampang, will be conducting integrated patrols to book anyone, including non-governmental organisations, found committing the offence on Feb 6.
Issuing a stern warning, State Customs Acting Director, Dr Janathan Kandok, said the department and the police would use their respective legal provisions to charge offenders.
He said a special team consisting of Customs personnel, Kota Kinabalu and Penampang police will conduct the operation, particularly at residential areas where there are a sizeable number of Chinese.
"The main objective of the special operation is to issue a serious warning to the public.
"We do not want any untoward incident like what happened to the local man who died setting off fireworks during Chinese New Year eve," Dr Janathan said.
He said this in a joint press conference together with City Police Public Order and Traffic Chief, DSP Peter Umbuas, at Wisma Kastam, here, Thursday. Also present was State Customs Deputy Director, Hamzah Sundang.
Until now, Dr Janathan said fireworks and firecrackers are restricted import items and that only firecrackers known as Pop-Pop and Happy Boom/Magic Pop are allowed to be imported and sold to the public.
"Those found keeping, hiding and possessing firecrackers and fireworks without permit will be pulled up under Section 13591)(d) of the Customs Act 1967.
"The Section provides for a minimum fine of 10 times the value of the seized item or RM50,000 and a maximum 20 times of the valued of the seized item or RM100,000 or a maximum jail of three years, or both, on conviction," he said.
As of Jan 31, 2012, Dr Janathan revealed that the department had seized over RM100,000 worth of illegal firecrackers and fireworks throughout Sabah.
According to him, the Customs office at district level will also do similar patrols for the same purpose of preventing untoward incidents.
On the police side, Umbuas said police will use the Corrosive, Explosive and Dangerous Weapon Act 1958 and its provisions to book offenders.
"There are many sections in the Act that we can use to book offenders found setting off the illegal firecrackers and fireworks.
For instance, Section 3 of the Act for possessing the items without permit provides for a maximum of three years' jail and whipping, on conviction.
"For using explosive items, we can use Section 4 of the Act that provides for a maximum of seven years' jail and whipping, and accompanying people who bring in the explosive items can also be charged under a provision of the same Act," he said.
In the past, Umbuas said the police had used a soft approach to advise those found setting off firecrackers and fireworks here to stop doing so but their advice and warnings were ignored.
So this time, he said the police and Customs are committed to address this matter.
