JOHOR BARU, Nov 8 — Johor police have formed a special squad, dubbed the Ninja Squad by the public, to curb roadside robberies such as snatch thefts in the city.
The unit, equipped with nine Kawasaki KLX250 scrambler motorcycles, patrol the streets wearing full-faced helmets, jeans and boots.
Chief Inspector Mohd Saufi Mohd Kassim, who leads the team, said “many members of the public started calling the team ‘ninja’ probably because of their full-faced helmets and appearance”, adding that the name has since stuck.
The squad was formed three months ago. Chief Insp Mohd Saufi said squad members dress casually in order to move about easily.
He said the 16-man team from the Johor Baru (South) district police headquarters is usually deployed at crime hot spots around Larkin, Pelangi and the city area.
“The squad was created to combat street crime within the crime-prone areas in the city,” he said.
“The idea of the squad was mooted by Johor Baru (South) Officer in Charge of Police District, Assistant Commissioner Zainuddin Yaakob.
“He takes the team deep into the jungle once a week for training exercises with their machines.”
The training is important because squad members must be able to adapt well to their high-powered motorcycles.
Assistant Commissioner Zainuddin said the motorcycles cost around RM23,000 each and can be ridden on different terrain.
“Our team has been very successful in tackling crime as we have apprehended snatch thieves and other criminals,” he said.
His team is also the pioneer in the country in using scrambler bikes to tackle crime.
He added that the success of the team has prompted state police chief Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff to look into setting up similar teams in other districts. — Straits Times