The government is refining amendments to existing laws to impose tougher penalties for trespassing, vandalism and theft involving railway assets, with the proposed changes expected to be tabled in Parliament by the end of this year.
Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said the amendments would introduce heavier punishments, particularly for railway cable theft, following concerns that current penalties are too lenient.
“A lot of provisions need to be amended because the existing laws are too weak. Imagine, trespassing only carries a fine of RM500 to RM1,000. Cable theft involving safety issues will carry heavy penalties,” he told the Dewan Rakyat during the ministerial question-and-answer session today.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Wira Dr Ku Abdul Rahman Ku Ismail (PN-Kubang Pasu) on measures to curb railway cable theft and the number of incidents recorded over the past three years.
Hasbi said 393 cable theft cases had been reported during the period, involving 19,756 metres of cable and resulting in estimated losses of RM16.3 million.
To tackle the crime, he said the government has strengthened cooperation with the Royal Malaysia Police, including engagement with scrap metal operators and dealers to prevent the purchase of stolen materials.
“This approach is important to break the market chain for stolen goods and reduce incentives for criminals,” he said.
He added that Railway Assets Corporation has installed 1,146 artificial intelligence-powered CCTV cameras at high-risk locations at a cost of RM14 million. Drones have also been introduced for aerial surveillance in difficult-to-access hotspots, while Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd has obtained approval to acquire 20 scrambler motorcycles for its Auxiliary Police to enhance patrols and incident response.
