Police have crippled four gangs of pirates preying on ships in the Melaka Strait in ongoing operations to maintain security in the waterway, said Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Musa Hassan. He said the enforcement efforts had reduced the incidence of piracy in the strait.Marine police were also providing escorts to tug boats or ships using the strait upon their request, he told reporters on the sidelines of a post-disaster crime prevention meeting at the Karambunai resort near here Saturday.
"There is no doubt our enforcement has reduced piracy attacks in the Strait of Melaka and we have made quite a number of arrests," said Musa. He said some of the arrests were reported in the media but some were kept under wraps because of ongoing operations.