Long road ahead to cleanse police force

 

 I penned these comments in 2021 because of a series of happenings, chief among them was the open display of double standards, especially in the enforcement of the movement control order:

“The police force – its reputation, image, and conduct - hardly smell like a bunch of roses. From being accused of arbitrarily issuing summonses to being accused of corruption, from assaulting people in remand to shooting and killing innocent people, they have taken all of them on their chins.

“Despite being pilloried and crucified (in a figurative sense) by Suhakam commissioners and judges in a court of law, there’s always the brave front – refusing to acknowledge nor deny their roles and admit wrongdoing.”

Today, nothing has changed much and often we hear accusations of favouritism and witch hunts.

Last year, the police force got a black eye when they falsely claimed they shot three men in self-defence at the roadside on the outskirts of Rawang.

But coroner Rasyihah Ghazali ruled there was a criminal element in the case and that there was an abuse of power by the authorities in the fatal shooting of G Thavaselvan, 31, S Mahendran, 23, and Sri Lankan national J Vijayaratnam, 40.

In short, it was an unlawful killing.

Before that, there were the disappearances of Amri Che Mat and pastor Raymond Koh, which have been declared by the human rights commission Suhakam to be cases of enforced disappearance carried out by the state, specifically the Special Branch.

Last week, the government, apparently in a feeble attempt to cover up the high-handedness of the police, appealed against the decision of the High Court to release a classified report on the disappearance of Amri, who has been missing since 2016.

In 2018, the Malaysian police and in particular, the then Bukit Aman CID chief Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd, forfeited A$320,000 (RM985,000) because he did not defend or explain the source of that money.

The Australian Police Force (AFP) said the seizure was based on the suspicion that the country’s anti-money laundering law had been violated. All Wan Ahmad had to do was to turn up in Australia and explain the source of his funds.

Instead, he was happy to stay put and allowed the money to be forfeited. He was exonerated by Bukit Aman, claiming the money was the proceeds of a sale of a property in Shah Alam and was used to fund the officer’s children who were studying in Australia.

But then, why deposit small amounts into his account from various parts of Australia?

Two weeks ago, a district police chief in Pahang was detained by the MACC for allegedly receiving bribes of up to RM1 million.

Gross misconduct, illegal behaviour

I must admit that during my time as a reporter on the crime beat, the conduct and behaviour of most police officers were impeccable and unimpeachable.

However, in recent years, there has been a series of high-profile cases of gross misconduct and illegal behaviour by police officers which has led to a loss of public trust and confidence in the police.

In what was seen as an immediate retort to the arrest, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said all district police chiefs must strive to improve the quality of service by giving priority to making things easier and reducing bureaucracy.

He advised them to avoid negative behaviour and instil good values and give priority to the needs of clients, whether they are members of the public or fellow police personnel.

“The most difficult challenge at the moment is to restore the public’s confidence in the police force, which is increasingly plagued by various forms of an unpleasant image crisis,” Bernama quoted him saying during Bukit Aman’s monthly assembly.

It is good that the IGP has finally acknowledged the problems faced by the force.

The situation can only make for a disillusioned and demotivated body of men and women, the bulk of whom go out of their way every single day to serve the community the best they can against the odds.

Imagine what they must go through when the force that they are so loyal to faces criticism and discredited by so many.

You can only feel sorry for ordinary mata-mata who patrol your streets or accepts your reports at the balai (police station).

Prosecute irrespective of rank

There have been minor faults with the rank-and-file but when some reach higher levels, the problems and rot set in.

Let me explain: Four years ago, I reported the case of two Nepali guards who had to spend Deepavali in the police lock-up through no fault of theirs.

They were arrested by a junior officer at the behest of a Bukit Aman-based senior officer and his wife, who is also a senior officer.

I wrote: “Eight nights in the lock-up for an offence they had nothing to do with is unjustifiable.”

“They were neither involved in the burglary nor committed any immigration offence. The police will have a lot of explaining to do.”

In an immediate response, then-IGP Abdul Hamid Bador ordered Bukit Aman’s Integrity and Standards Compliance Department (Jips) to probe the claim.

We were later told that “appropriate action” had been taken. Was it just a slap on the wrist?

Shouldn’t those responsible be charged with a criminal offence? This is the way how the force operates.

If the police force needs to re-image itself, the first step will be to prosecute errant officers irrespective of their ranks. Put the fright into them and the ripple effect will be huge. Everything else will slowly fall into place. - Mkini

---

R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.