Road blocks

Have you ever wondered how police make decisions on who to pull over during a road block?

I used to think that people who look suspicious or drunk ~ other than those who committed a traffic offence i.e. speeding ~ would get the short straw. (Besides, I have never been pulled over before when I am innocent of any wrongdoing.)

But after tonight’s hilarious incident … I am not so sure anymore how the police make their selection.

We had a late Friday night badminton game. It started late @ approximately 9.30pm and ended later still @ 11.30pm. By then, we were tired, dirty, smelly but darn thirsty. Therefore, we decided to adjourn to a nearby “mamak” stall for sustenance. Thus, the five of us ~ “old man Tuck”, “steel man Suresh”, “Zack the Jack Black fan”, “Steph the drop shot Queen” and me ~ piled into Tuck’s eleven year old white Proton.

On our way back, we encountered a road block and expected to continue on. Tuck even said, “We should be ok la. After all, this car is very muhibbah. We have an Indian, a Malay and three Chinese.”

However, we were all stupefied/ mystified … yet amused … when we were asked to pull over. There we were ~ five dirty, smelly persons in soiled t-shirts and shorts! Wonder what activity the police thought we were up to. Hmmm …. The police checked the road tax, Tuck’s driving licence and identity card (ID). Then, he shone the torchlight into the car and asked everyone to hand over their IDs.

Zack tried to explain. “Encik, kami baru habis main badminton.”

The police continued to check our IDs one by one, until he was finally satisfied that we are who we are.

Once we pulled away from the road block, we all collapsed into laughter. We theorised that the police thought Tuck was the pimp, Steph and me the China dolls, and Zack and Suresh were the very satisfied customers (since they were hard put to contain their amusement during the entire incident).

Zack laughed and said, “Luckily I didn’t just say ‘kami baru habis main’. He might wonder what we just ‘main’.”

What say you? Do you think we hit the nail in the coffin with our theory? : )


And the serious bit:

Do you know why road blocks are conducted?

According to this North American website,
“ … The stated purposes of roadblocks are usually legalized excuses to stop and scrutinize motorists for which there would otherwise be no reason to do so. These excuses include "sobriety checks," license and registration verification, possession of insurance, proof of citizenship, and seatbelt usage. The desired effect is to establish a sense of fear and intimidation among the population. …”

Yup. That sounds like in Malaysia too.

Additionally, these could be potential avenues for “excess funds” from road users. Otherwise, why are road blocks frequently set up during weekends? And usually at stretches of roads where party/pub goers would pass? If it is to ensure road safety from drunk drivers, then the drivers who have been summoned for drinking should pull over to sober up. How many times have these drivers been allowed to go their merry way once they have “negotiated” their summons? And of course the other telling point is, during and/or close to festive seasons, the number of road blocks set-up would increase substantially.