DBKL Plans to Expand Use of Body-Worn Cameras for Enforcement Officers Following ‘Abang Belon’ Incident

In light of recent disturbances involving enforcement officers, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is planning to expand the use of body-worn cameras (BWC) among its officers. The proposal follows a series of incidents where DBKL enforcement officers were involved in controversial actions, leading to public outcry.

According to a Berita Harian report, DBKL Advisory Board member Lai Chen Heng stated that before the widespread adoption of BWCs, several factors need to be carefully reviewed, including costs and data storage systems.

Photo via Harakah Daily

"The expansion of body camera usage will be proposed soon, but there are several factors that need to be considered, such as the cost of the cameras and the storage system for the data,” Lai said. "We have thousands of enforcement officers, so aside from the cost of the cameras themselves, we also need to plan how to store the data collected daily. We will need to invest in a storage system as well."

Lai further explained that enforcement officers typically issue at least three notices to individuals who are either unlicensed or committing any offenses before taking any action, “Imagine issuing three notices a day — in just 30 days, that's a significant number of notices. When enforcement officers approach, individuals often flee to another location before returning to the same spot," he added.

The recent commotion that went viral was linked to DBKL's actions against individuals accused of operating without a license in the area. 

Chen Heng clarified that all DBKL enforcement officers follow specific guidelines while carrying out their duties, “Honestly, we regret the rough handling that occurred. As a result, we have taken steps to minimize the damage by suspending the three officers involved. If a police report is filed, we will conduct an internal investigation into the matter,” he said.

Despite the incident, DBKL is committed to assisting those affected in obtaining the necessary licenses. "We now encourage hawkers to deal directly with DBKL without going through associations," he added.