By LOURDES CHARLES

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: The safe return of kidnap victims is be the main priority for police, Criminal Investigations Department (CID) director Commissioner Datuk Mohd Bakri Zinin said.

He said police had successfully rescued 48 out of the 55 victims kidnapped in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Six of the victims were killed by the kidnappers while the fate of one of them is still unknown.

"A specialised unit within the CID is dedicated to pursue and investigate kidnap cases with the sole purpose of rescuing victims and apprehending the kidnappers.

"We have always put kidnap for ransom cases as our highest priority and it remains so until today," he said yesterday in response to a recent statement by a politician on the increasing number of such cases.

Comm Mohd Bakri stressed that the police never approved of or encouraged the payment of ransom for the release of victims. He said the payment of ransom would only encourage further kidnap attempts.

"In whatever circumstances, the decision to pay the ransom rests upon the families of the victims," he added.

Comm Mohd Bakri said that over the years kidnappers had become highly sophisticated and enterprising in their approach.

He said kidnappers today armed themselves with high-powered weapons, adding that police personnel risked their lives in confronting such criminals.

He added that prosecuting kidnappers often proved to be very challenging.

"The investigation and prosecution process is hampered because victims or their families become very uncooperative."