Police are set to embark on a major “war” with loan shark syndicates, Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador warned today.

Without giving out too much on the plans, Abdul Hamid (photo) said anyone found to be involved in loan shark activity will be arrested and prosecuted.

“Not long from now.. we will launch a major operation on Ah Long (loan sharks) syndicates. They will be detained and charged in court.

“They could face action under Anti-Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLA), I will go after them with a multi-prong legal approach,” he told Bernama.

Reports of how loan sharks are becoming aggressive were reported by the media of late, with cases of how images of defaulters being pasted in residential areas to shame them into paying up.

In another development, Abdul Hamid said the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Commercial Crimes Investigations Department have also embarked on various methods and approaches to combat illegal gambling activities in Kuala Lumpur.

“There have been arrests every week in the city, and I observed there is greater resolve in the force to clean up Kuala Lumpur from these (gambling) syndicates.

“There has also been drastic action taken against gangsterism in the capital,” he said.

Abdul Hamid also reminded his men to continue their policing work responsibly.

“We will add more manpower in sectors where they are really needed to ensure the job is done well and in a more organised manner. I do not want tasks to be done half-heartedly,” he said.

- Bernama