Saiful (centre), flanked by Rogayah (left) and Koo, speaks at the dialogue session.
SIBU: Fifty-four out of the 91 applications for second hand dealer licences have been approved.
Speaking at a dialogue with second-hand dealers at police headquarters here yesterday, Sibu police chief ACP Saiful Bahri Abdullah said the applications were required by law under the Second Hand Dealers Act 1964, which the police would process accordingly.
He said six of the applications were rejected because the applicants did not submit some of the required documents and because they wanted to set up their trading premises in residential houses, which was unacceptable.
“In processing the licences, the police will check on the applicants’ backgrounds and see if they have have any criminal records and whether they comply strictly with the requirements of Sibu Municipal Council.”
He said another 27 applications were still being processed as they needed more time to go through them thoroughly.
He added that the police would also regularly check their premises to ensure their activities were not crime-related and stolen items like dismantled parts of stolen motor vehicles were not sent there.
More than 50 second-hand dealers turned up for the dialogue session, which was also attended by Sibu Municipal Council deputy chairwoman Rogayah Jemain, Sibu deputy police chief Supt Martin Koo and Sibu CID head DSP Yeoh Chun Shyang.
Yeoh, who also spoke, meanwhile called on the dealers to know the background of those selling second-hand items to them.
“Make sure items sold to you are not stolen properties because both buyer and seller can be prosecuted.
“For the buyers, they could be prosecuted under Section 411 of the Penal Code and face a jail term from half a year to five years.”
For strangers bringing second-hand items to them, he advised the dealers to record their identity cards and other particulars.
“The police will carry out regular checks to ensure these premises do not receive stolen properties.”
Rogayah meanwhile said SMC would check on the environmental and health factors of these trading premises. She added that items collected by the dealers must be properly kept in their premises so that they would not obstruct the traffic flow and the five-foot-way.