Mall security to get police training, says Hisham

Shopping malls that declined to participate in the security training will be named and shamed, said the minister. — File pic

PUTRAJAYA, July 16 — More than 25,000 security guards working at shopping centres throughout the country will be given training by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) at police training camps in efforts to tackle criminal cases at such premises as reported by the media lately.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said a training module would be developed as soon as possible based on the module used by the police and the Ikatan Relawan Rakyat (Rela) so that it could be implemented in the near future.

“The main thing is to change the mindset and the willingness to work together because the security personnel is already there and they are being paid by the owners of the malls, so by upgrading it, it will only be better,” he told reporters after a meeting with police force’s top leadership, the ministry’s National Key Result Area (NKRA) unit, owners of shopping centres and other stakeholders to overcome criminal cases, at his office, here today.

Hishammuddin said that, at the moment, three large shopping centres have already stated their commitment to join in the programme.

He said that while participation in the training programme would not be compulsory, he would expose the names of shopping centres that wished to join the programme and those that did not.

“Let the public decide because it is one thing asking the police to do this and that, but what is their responsibility and here we are not asking them to employ more people, we are just asking them to come for training,” he said.

Hishammuddin also refuted that the measures were taken because of the high crime rate, but more towards convincing the people that the ministry was serious in tackling criminal cases that occurred in the country.

“It is not the issue of the crime rate being high or low. The question is the public must feel safe. The index of crime is there for anybody to see, but if the people do not perceive it to be safe enough, we may have to reduce the index even further.

“The beauty of our approach under the transformation programme is getting all the stakeholders on board and this time we are getting the private sector,” he said.

Asked on the statement by former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan on the crime rate, Hishammuddin he said he accepted it with an open mind and welcomed his views and ideas on tackling criminal cases in the country. — Bernama