The home ministry has proposed the procurement of 16 new buses with a capacity of 44 passengers each for the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) following the crash in May that claimed the lives of nine FRU personnel.
Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the buses would be used by the FRU for general use and long-distance travel.
In a written parliamentary reply, Saifuddin said the ministry proposed that funds be allocated to procure the buses under the 13th Malaysia Plan.
He also said the ministry has proposed customising existing FRU vehicles to ensure they fit the set safety specifications, as well as the installation of additional safety components like dash cameras.
“The police are holding discussions with various stakeholders concerning improvements to SOPs (involving the transportation of FRU personnel).
“The date of implementation of the new SOPs will be set once the procedures are finalised and approved by the police force’s leadership,” he said.
Nine FRU members were killed and nine others injured after the truck they were in crashed with a lorry in Teluk Intan, Perak, on May 12.
Those who died were S Perumal, 44, Roslan Abd Rahim, 46, Pozli Jaudin, 41, Nurit Pandak, 34, Amiruddin Zabri, 38, Hilmi Azlan, 38, Akmal Muhamad, 35, Damarrulan Abdul Latif, 33, and Akmal Wafi Annuar, 28.
The 45-year-old lorry driver, Rudi Zulkarnain Mat Radi, was charged on May 16 with nine counts of causing death by reckless driving. He claimed trial to all the charges.
A preliminary report by the task force investigating the crash also found that the tipper lorry was carrying 40,960kg of gravel, exceeding the permitted limit of 24,000kg by 70.67%.
