Why cops are singing the blues over uniform

No wonder the police are singing the blues. Blue is their uniform colour but then everyone else is wearing blue, too. And that can create confusion for the public.

How to tell who is a policeman when uniformed officers from other government agencies such as the Customs, Immigration, Road Transport and Prisons departments have, more or less, similar uniforms?

Adding to the state of confusion, enforcement officers from some municipal councils and those employed by security firms also wear dark blue uniforms.

This has created concern as the public might not be able to distinguish who is a policeman or otherwise.

The Sunday Star front-paged a story quoting federal police deputy director of management (training) Mortadza Nazarene saying that the police did not have exclusive rights to their blue uniform.

"The integrity of the force is at stake. It is an issue. We want to be different from the rest," Mortadza was quoted as saying.

Complaints from the public

Mortadza said they had received complaints from the public about police abuse but upon investigation, found that these "men in blue" were actually from local councils, other agencies or the private sector.

Mortadza has informed that the police were now gazetting the police uniform so that they could have exclusive rights to its use.

However, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was surprised to learn that the police did not have exclusive rights to the blue colour and design of their uniform.

"I was surprised when I read this in the newspaper this morning. The police should have a distinctive uniform to enable the public to distinguish them from other agencies.

"This is important because they are the keepers of peace," he was reported as saying.

Since policemen were responsible for internal security, their uniforms should have been gazetted when they were introduced, he said.

Selangor police chief Deputy Comm Khalid Abu Bakar concurred. Khalid recalled a recent incident where the police were accused of assault, but investigations revealed that those involved were actually security guards from a supermarket.

Fake police paraphernalia sold

Meanwhile, Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) vice-chairman Lee Lam Thye said the issue of similar uniforms could pose a problem.

Lee said it was only right that the police gazetted their uniforms.

A check by Sunday Star found that while police uniforms are not openly sold, one can easily buy fake police badges, stick-on signs with the word "POLIS", detective jackets and even handcuffs.

An informal survey found that most people could not tell the difference between the real paraphernalia and the fake ones.

Shops have been warned not to sell such badges and any other items associated with the police.

"Anyone in possession of these items can be charged," he told The Star.

He added that there had been cases of police impostors and advised those stopped by uniformed personnel to ask for their authority cards to ensure they were genuine cops.

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courtesy of MM