Bukit Aman has pruned its list of officers who are authorised to issue press statements and speak to the media.
According to inside sources, a circular issued by Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani earlier this week listed only three key persons in Bukit Aman who are allowed to engage with the media.
They are the IGP himself, the Royal Malaysian Police secretary, and the officer in charge of police corporate communications.
For state and district level police-related matters, only the respective state police chief (CPO) and district police chiefs (OCPD) are authorised to speak to the press.
"The circular stated that if an issue involves two state police headquarters or more, then the media engagement will be coordinated by the Bukit Aman corporate communications division.
"On top of that, any application to hold an interview or get a statement at the Bukit Aman level must first go through the division for review or coordination," a source, who declined to be named, told Malaysiakini.
Sources said that the latest order effectively blocks all other police officials from issuing statements to the media.
They include police department directors in Bukit Aman and department heads at the state level. The circular also excluded the deputy IGP and other officers who lead police formations.
Previously, Bukit Aman department directors were allowed to give statements and comments to the press without any restriction, while at the state level, the respective department heads, which include the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief, have similar authority when it comes to cases under their jurisdiction.
According to sources, no reason was stated for Bukit Aman’s change of policy.
Malaysiakini has sent requests for comments to Acryl and the police corporate communications chief. - Mkini
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