After four decades, Musa takes final bow

Musa is known for saying “don’t speculate, we will investigate.” — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — One can easily mistake Tan Sri Musa Hassan, the outgoing Inspector-General of Police (IGP), to be a stern man judging from his hardened demeanour. He is, after all, the country’s top cop.

But his smile, when he does smile, betrays his affable nature. Rising to become the country’s top policeman in September 2006, Musa retires from the force tomorrow, leaving an elaborate career spanning four decades.

Today, Musa, 58, was given a farewell parade at the Police Training Centre, here, 41 years after he first joined the force. The law graduate from the United Kingdom joined the force as an inspector on November 11, 1969 and held various positions early in his career, including as a prosecuting officer in 1973.

He also held the post of Bukit Aman national police headquarters’ narcotics division director in 1981, lectured at the Kuala Kubu Baru Police College, before being appointed Bukit Aman deputy assistant director of prosecution in 1995 and Johor Police Chief in 2003.

He also led the police investigation team into the sodomy and corruption cases involving former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1999.

In 2004, he was appointed the Criminal Investigation Department Director and as the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in 2006 and later the IGP, a post he held until his retirement Monday.

In March this year, he set in motion a major agenda to transform the police by focusing on their efficiency in solving crimes, and introduced zero-tolerance to misconduct, abuse of power and corruption. The pledge was spelled out in the IGP Pledge, read for the first time in the force’s history at the 202nd Police Day in March.

During his tenure, he had also introduced the police’s five-year strategic plan covering logistical matter and enhancing the force’s investigation capabilities.

Musa also has a personal story to tell — about how he went undercover and posed as a trishaw rider in Penang to penetrate the drug trafficking activities there. In the process, he arrested one of the traffickers.

Musa had also posed as a sugarcane juice seller for the same purpose.

Among the media, he is best remembered for his line, “don’t speculate, we will investigate.”

His name will no doubt continue to ring a bell long after his retirement. — Bernama