Hands off visitors’ driving licences
05/09/2007 The Star By V.P. SUJATA

PUTRAJAYA: Security firms at housing estates and high-rise residences have no authority to insist that visitors hand over their driving licence to get a pass to enter the premises.

Road Transport Department (JPJ) director-general Datuk Ahmad Mustapha Abdul Rashid said security firms could not instruct their guards to ask for the driving licence, as they were not authorised to do so.

He said it had come to his attention that many security firms have been asking for the driving licence lately because they knew taking someone’s identity card was an offence.

“Driving licences cannot be used as an identity document, especially by those not authorised to handle them.

“The only people authorised to ask for the driving licence are JPJ officers, traffic wardens and the police.

Ahmad Mustapha also said the driving licence could not be kept by anyone other than the holder.

He suggested that security guards take down the names and identity card numbers of visitors or accept any other credentials to allow visitors access into condominiums, apartments and residential areas.

JPJ enforcement chief Salim Parlan said visitors who did not want to hand over their driving licence over to security guards could lodge a police report against the security firm.

A spokesperson from Security and Public Order division of the Internal Security Ministry said the ministry only issued permits to security firms but did not stipulate the type of identification guards could ask from visitors.

“There is no instruction from us to ask visitors to hand over driving licences,” he said.