Penang gets tough on litterbugs: Body cams, 24-hour enforcement rolled out under new community service order scheme

Penang gets tough on litterbugs: Body cams, 24-hour enforcement rolled out under new community service order scheme



State exco H’ng Mooi Lye (second from right) looking at the body camera on an enforcement officer. — Picture by Opalyn Mok

Tuesday, 19 May 2026 12:24 PM MYT


GEORGE TOWN, May 19 — Officers equipped with body cameras will be deployed as part of Penang’s new Community Service Order (PKM) enforcement against litterbugs from July 1 onwards.

State Local Government and Town and Country Planning Committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye said enforcement action will also be carried out round-the-clock.

“Enforcement action can be carried out anytime of the day, 24 hours a day so there is no specific time,” he said in a press conference in Komtar today.

He said the use of body cameras, along with photographic and video recordings, will serve as evidence during enforcement operations.

“Usually, one enforcement team will consist of at least two officers and one of them will have a body camera,” he said.

He added that the officers will also use video recordings.

Currently, the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has about 170 body cameras for its enforcement team while the Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) has about 17 body cameras.


H’ng said each body camera costs about RM1,000 each and he has instructed MBSP to increase the number of body cameras for its enforcement team.

He said CCTV recordings could also be used as supporting evidence against offenders, although he stressed that enforcement officers would still need to be physically present during operations to avoid disputes.

The Penang government approved guidelines for the implementation of the PKM for littering offences on May 6.

“Since this is still new in Penang, we want proper procedures in place first. We took six months to prepare our own state guidelines after discussions at the national level,” he said.

The PKM initiative follows amendments to the Local Government Act and the Street, Drainage and Building Act gazetted on November 12 last year which empower local authorities to impose community service-based punishments for offences related to public cleanliness.

Under the implementation, he said offenders may be fined up to RM2,000 or ordered to perform up to 12 hours of community service within six months, or both.

“Those who fail to comply with court orders may face fines ranging from RM2,000 to RM10,000,” he said.

Among the offences covered under PKM are throwing cigarette butts in public places, littering tissues, plastic bottles and food wrappers, dumping rubbish into drains, leaving rubbish at beaches, parks and recreational areas, throwing garbage from vehicles, and leaving food waste after trading at public spaces such as night markets and food courts.

H’ng said the punishment was not intended solely as a punitive measure but also as an educational approach to instil civic responsibility and public cleanliness awareness.

Community service activities under PKM may include cleaning roads, drains, public markets, beaches, bus stops, pedestrian walkways, hawker centres and public toilets.

It also includes participating in gotong-royong activities, post-flood clean-up efforts and public awareness programmes organised by local authorities.

He said the state government hoped the initiative would reduce littering offences and cultivate a stronger culture of cleanliness and environmental sustainability in Penang.