Penang police chief Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the special squad is made up of traffic policemen.

“On average, 77 people in Penang committed suicide in a year for the period from 2020 to May this year, and statistics showed that 20 cases involved people jumping off these bridges,” he added.

He said police were working closely with the state government and non-governmental organisations to check such suicide cases.

“Suicide is a sensitive issue, including to the family concerned, and it is difficult for us to say whether it is due to personal problems, family pressure or financial woes.

“Too much publicity on people committing suicide from these bridges could also “encourage” others to end their lives in a similar manner,” he told a press conference here today.

He also said police would be meeting with other relevant government agencies and the state government soon to find ways to overcome the problem of traffic congestion, especially on the Penang Bridge.

Unusually bad traffic jams were reported lately because the number of vehicles using the two bridges increased by 15.9% last month compared to May 2019 during pre-Covid-19 pandemic times, he said.