POLICE TO MONITOR SALE OF PEPPER SPRAY TO AVOID BEING MISUSED

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Premises selling pepper spray will be
required to record down details of the buyer, for police reference, to avoid the
spray from being used for criminal activities said Federal Police Chief
Musa Hassan.

Musa said police would monitor its sale and inspect premises selling the
product.

"There is no law to stop the sale of the product to the public, so we will
ask those selling such products to keep a record of those who bought the spray
so that the police can use it as a reference when needed," he told reporters
after opening a crime prevention week organised ExxonMobil here Monday.

"The sale of such products is good because it is used as a self defence or
protection, especially by women, against criminals. But it can also be bought
and used by criminals to attack their victims," he said.

Meanwhile, Musa said the crime index for the country had registered a 15 per
cent drop compared with the same period last year with 52,366 cases registered
in the first quarter of 2010, against 61,562 last year.

"The drop involves four states in Peninsular Malaysia identified with hot spots,
namely Penang,
Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Johor," he said.

--BERNAMA