My men are just like detainees, says deputy IGP

"My men taking care of police lock-ups on a daily basis also live like detainees and we hope to change public perception of the police force."

That was what deputy inspector-general of police Mohd Bakri Mohd Zinin had to say when The Malay Mail spoke to him about the challenging time the police are facing following the rise of custodial deaths.

Bakri said while he agrees the standard operating procedure (SOP) needs to be reviewed, he also called on society and human rights movements to work together with the police instead of only criticising his men.

"Certain quarters are quick to point fingers and accuse my men of sleeping on their jobs. By taking care of the lock-ups daily, my men are just like detainees.

"They earn the same salary but their challenges get tougher every day. Society putting them down is just not helping," he said.

"They face all sorts of characters. Some of whom are rude and speak vulgarly to the cops who spend eight hours a day in the lock-ups with them. 

"They throw food, call my men names and much more."

He added some of his men assigned to look after problematic detainees daily are just like fathers taking care of their own children.

Bakri also stressed that the police do not have any personal interests or gains in killing detainees.

"They are aware of their boundaries but at moments, they tend to go overboard when they are challenged by detainees. This is also one aspect we are looking to tackle," he said.

Bakri, who took over his new post less than a month ago, said the police want to do more for the society in these trying times. He assured changes will be seen along the way but warned that it may not come immediately.

"We want to educate the public rather than have them on our radar. Our men uphold our integrity and they are definitely an asset to the public ... one can't deny that."

He said though certain quarters are just waiting to bash the police, they should also remember the good the cops have done.

He was referring to the Lahad Datu incident where many policemen died fighting for the country.

"We are facing tough times and challenges. Let's tackle them instead of demoralising our policemen ... lets work together," he said.

- The Malay Mail