Police insist they had followed SOP in shooting incident

Penang police today maintained that they had followed the standard operating procedure (SOP) in the raid on an apartment where five members of a gang were killed in a shootout yesterday, contrary to the claims by the families of the dead men. 

Penang chief police officer Abdul Rahim Hanafi (left) said the police had adhered strictly to the SOP.

“It is not true that the police fired more than 30 shots at the suspects without identifying themselves. We identified ourselves before entering the apartment and were shot at.

“We kept to the SOP and only fired a number of shots which hit them, and not as alleged by them (the family members),” he told reporters at a meeting with Op Selamat 3/2013 personnel in George Town. 

The media today carried reports quoting the families of the five men as claiming that police had shot repeatedly at the suspects without adhering to the SOP.

At 4.30am yesterday, police raided an apartment in Sungai Nibong and shot dead five men believed to be hired killers wanted for murders and attempted murders in Penang, Kedah and Negri Sembilan. 

Abdul Rahim also dismissed rumours that remnants of the gang had attempted to attack the police to avenge the deaths of their comrades. 

“We do not have any information on that. I believe they are just rumours. However, police will take precautionary measures,” he said.

He also said that police had received four reports from the families of the dead men seeking to have an inquest held into their deaths. 

“We will look into the police reports. The police cannot make a decision on the holding of an inquest. They (the families) can apply for one,” he said.

- Bernama