'Rude' cop vs news anchor: We need to hear both sides, minister says

 

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said an investigation into claims by a news anchor of the allegedly rude conduct of a patrol officer is underway.

Speaking in a press conference today, Saifuddin said there’s a need to listen to the perspective of both the anchorman and the officer on duty.

“My principle is that we need to listen to both versions, so we can act in a fair manner. We need to hear from both the complainant and the police officers involved to understand the truth.

“The police are not correct all the time, and the complainant can sometimes make mistakes.

“The complainant has presented his side of the story. Given the specificity of this complaint, we have records of the officers on duty during the incident.

“We shall wait for the findings of the investigation,” he told reporters after attending a citizenship handover ceremony at his ministry today.

On Sunday (March 17), the police said they would be summoning news anchor Muhammed Ahmad Hamdan, who wrote a letter over the allegedly rude conduct of a patrol officer.

In the letter published in the New Straits Times, Muhammed wrote that the incident occurred just outside his house in Subang Jaya.

He had arrived home at about 1am after presenting the Tuesday midnight news and was unwinding in his car - parked in front of the house - when two officers on motorcycles approached him.

“One of them exhibited rude, arrogant and unprofessional behaviour, which left me disappointed,” he wrote.

Muhammed did not reveal the identity or give any identifying descriptions of both officers.

Let cops probe ‘Allah’ socks issue

In a separate development, Saifuddin said the Home Ministry is leaving it to the police to investigate the recent controversy surrounding the sale of socks bearing the word “Allah” at convenience store chain KK Mart.

“Several police reports have been filed. Let the police handle the matter,” he said briefly.

Last week, images of the Miranosock socks bearing the word Allah sold at convenience store chain KK Mart’s Bandar Sunway outlet went viral on social media.

Following the brouhaha, KK Mart apologised to all its customers and the Muslim community in particular.

The company apologised for the oversight, and said it has stopped selling the product.

In a statement issued by the Royal Press Office today, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said oversight is no excuse for a convenience store chain to sell socks bearing the word Allah.

According to the ruler, the issue deserves to be dealt with strictly by the authorities, whether or not it was deliberately done, or the products were manufactured locally, or abroad. - Mkini