KOTA SAMARAHAN: Police are investigating and tracing individuals responsible for spreading false crime information on social networking site Facebook.
Among the recent cases involved stories about the selling of organs, robbery at a goldsmith shop, and abuse cases, which Facebook users claimed had occurred in the state.
Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Wira Muhammad Sabtu Osman pointed out that those crime cases did not actually happen in Sarawak but elsewhere, adding that the rumourmongering had caused unnecessary fear among the people.
He warned that the police would charge anyone — influential or otherwise — found giving the public false information of crime statistics.
Muhammad Sabtu explained that the police consider spreading inaccurate information to the public through the media an act of defamation and therefore a crime.
“This is the last warning and no more chances will be spared to those who try to spread false information about crime statistics to the public.
“Whether the individual is from the opposition or not, we will take court action against them,” he told reporters after launching ‘Crime Awareness Day’ at Summer Mall here.
He said the act of defamation would reflect badly on the police and negatively impact public opinion.
Any influential individual with doubts on crime statistics could just get the actual facts from the police, he said.
“They can do counter checks with the police or they can even meet me,” he said.
According to the police commissioner there has been an overall reduction in crimes in the state but declined to announce the statistics until the year end.
He added that while crime is under control, some criminal activities had shown an increase and this is now the focus of the police.
No comments:
Post a Comment