IGP orders crackdown on music and movie piracy
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 Musa Hassan
| KUALA LUMPUR (April 15, 2009) : Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan has directed state police chiefs to crack down on music and movie piracy, China Press reported today.
Following the directive, police are expected to get tough with pirates. Their action will include setting up roadblocks to check vehicles for pirated discs.
Musa remind the public that it is also an offence for members of the public to possess pirated discs and police will not condone it.
Speaking to the daily during a phone interview, he said the directive has been issued to all state police chiefs and police will take action including setting up roadblocks to check for pirated discs on vehicles.
"It is an offence to produce or to possess pirated discs. I hope members of the public would not challenge the police," he said.
Selangor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said police in the state have started cracking down on music and movie piracy.
He disclosed that police target mainly those who churn out pirated discs and peddlers. There are no plans yet to conduct house-to-house checks, he said.
"Aside from (acting against) pirated disc syndicates, those making illegal copies and the sellers, (any) action against individuals (so far) is over the possession of porno discs," he said.
Khalid said police raids on houses, hawkers centre, restaurants and commercial premises are usually carried out on public tip-offs.
He said police have not received any directive yet to act against individuals in possession of non-porno pirated discs.
Meanwhile, Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM) chief executive officer Tan Ngiap Foo said police need to obtain a search warrant from court before they can enter private homes to check for pirated discs.
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