Gate closure: Cops to carry out duties as normal

The Royal Malaysia Police will provide services as usual even though police stations were instructed to close their gates after 10pm.

Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said the public can still lodge complaints and reports at stations after that time.

“As stressed by Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, we should balance the role of the police station as a place where the public lodges reports (but) at the same time, the stations are also targets of threats,” he told Bernama.

Razarudin said the 10pm gate closure currently involved police stations in remote or rural areas.

He added that the gate closures will be implemented after standard operating procedure on the matter is presented to Bukit Aman Management Department director Azmi Kassim.

During a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, Saifuddin said the Home Ministry instructed that gates of police stations in the country be closed after 10pm.

This was said to be a security measure following the attack on the Ulu Tiram station in Johor.

He added that the order was implemented to balance the public’s need to be at the police station and to ensure the safety of personnel on duty.

Following some reported confusion over the issue, the Home Ministry clarified in a statement last night that closing the gate of the police station does not mean closing it completely.

“It is certainly not reasonable when the statement was misinterpreted by some parties as ‘closing the gate’ in total while the police are responsible for controlling public safety and order,” said the ministry.

It requested that editors correct any news report that could give rise to misunderstanding over the issue.- Mkini