POLICE SECURITY BEEF-UP AT BAYAN LEPAS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

PENANG (Malaysia), Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Four platoons of General Operations Force (GOF) personnel will be stationed at the Bayan Lepas International Airport for security in and around the area beginning Oct 15.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said 160 personnel from four
platoons
will be deployed in stages in October while three more platoons will be added in
November.

"This is an additional security measure for the airport area," he told
reporters after chairing the state security council meeting here Friday.

The deployment at the airport here follows several robberies involving
large
sums of money in the area in the past months.

Lim said the additional security measure was to assure people that the area
was safe, adding that he did not deny that there were feelings of fear,
insecurity and worry following the robberies.

He said as further security measures for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri and
Deepavali festivity periods police would deploy 180 more personnel for patrols.
They comprise 50 Federal Reserve Unit members, 120 GOF personnel and 10 Marine
Police personnel.

Beside that, Lim said, the state government will also have a forum together
with non-governmental organisations titled 'Community Policing' to enhance
public awareness about crime and security precautions that needed to be
taken.

"For starters we will have an open forum on Sept 28 at 10am at the Komtar
Auditorium. We wil invite Penang Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan and all
opposition leaders to attend the forum. The invitations will go out today," he
said.