'Low wages linked to corruption in police force'

Low wages among police personnel have contributed to their involvement in corruption or other means to earn extra income, a PKR lawmaker said today.

Kuala Langat MP Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid in a statement quoted Bukit Aman Integrity Department director Abdul Rahim Hanafi, who recently said that many police personnel are taking home less than 40 percent of their gross pay.

It was also reported that more than 10,000 police personnel aged between 30 and 35, as well as between 50 and 55, were caught in a serious debt cycle.

"I highly sympathise with the situation and for me, the 10,000 is too high, whereby this low wage factor would cause the individual to cheat or find other 'extra income'.

"In fact, the low salary of police personnel have been the main contributor to their involvement in corruption and other such activities," said Abdullah Sani who also heads PKR's labour bureau.

Abdullah Sani pointed out that a person earning RM4,000 would still find it difficult to survive in Kuala Lumpur, let alone a police officer earning RM2,000 and below the poverty line.

In the past, he said there were also cases of police officers being involved in collecting money from drug syndicates, illegal gambling dens, massage parlours and others, believed to be a way to boost their income.

"Such cases would have a negative impact, particularly as police are responsible to protect the people's safety and the people have placed their full trust in the police," he added.

Abdullah Sani, as such, urged the government to review salaries of police personnel and other enforcement authorities in the country, in line with a suggestion made by the MACC. - Mkini