Selangor Police Temporarily Suspends Concert Permits To Review Safety Measures
"In the future, for any concert, organisers must ensure that they can prevent the entry of drugs at the event," said Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan.
By May Vin Ang — 06 Jan 2025, 03:38 PM
Selangor police have temporarily suspended the approvals of concert permits following the tragic deaths of four attendees at the recent Pinkfish New Year's Eve countdown event
According to Bernama, Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the suspension will remain in effect until investigations are completed, and when event organisers are able to demonstrate effective measures to prevent drug-related deaths.
"In the future, for any concert, organisers must ensure that they can prevent the entry of drugs at the event. If they fail to do so, we cannot allow it to proceed, as it may result in fatalities," said Hussein at a press conference on Friday, 3 January.
Earlier, he revealed that the four victims who died after attending the event were believed to have consumed ecstasy.
Hussein emphasised that future concert permits will only be issued to organisers who meet strict safety criteria, including proper crowd management, eliminating drug-related activities, and ensuring proper venue ventilation
He added that over 14,000 people attended the Pinkfish concert, which exceeded the venue's capacity, leading to overcrowding and contributing to breathing difficulties aggravated by drug and alcohol use.
"This is why, for concerts involving music and large crowds, we will carefully review permit applications. For the Pinkfish concert, we found the organisers failed to control these issues," he said.
Hussein added that organisers would be required to provide guarantees to the police to prevent drug distribution at their events moving forward
According to Bernama, Selangor state Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneurship Committee chairman Mohd Najwan Halimi lauded the move by the Selangor police, saying the state government also aims to prevent such incidents from happening again.
