JOHOR BARU, May 15 — A police officer can stop and detain any suspected person for inspection as stated under Section 24(1)(a) of the Police Act 1967, Johor Baru Utara district police chief ACP Rupiah Abd Wahid said.

"In addition, under Section 7(1) of the National Registration Act 1959, any police officer is given written authorisation to inspect the identity card of a person while in the line of duty,” she said in a statement today.

She was providing clarification after a video recording of a man expressing his unhappiness at the being inspected by the police went viral.

Rubiah said a Crime Prevention Patrol team from the Taman Ungku Tun Aminah police station stopped a man in a Hyundai Elentra yesterday at 5.50pm.

She said the individual was taken to the police station for further inspection and was freed soon after the inspection was completed.

As such, she urged the public to be careful and prudent when making comments or making viral unverified stories on social media. — Bernama