PETALING JAYA: Police have to regain public trust which has been compromised on account of disciplinary cases that have tarnished their image, said Universiti Utara Malaysia College of Law, Government and International Studies lecturer Prof Madya Dr Mohamad Faisol Keling.
He was commenting on a July 25 report by Bukit Aman Integrity and Standards Compliance Department director Datuk Seri Azri Ahmad that 1,671 police officers and personnel have been dismissed from their jobs over the past 10 years.
Azri said from 2014 to June this year, 15,546 officers and policemen were subjected to various disciplinary actions while 40,436 disciplinary inquiries and investigation papers were opened.
“In terms of compliance, 10,000 to 20,000 police personnel are monitored and directly inspected from time to time by the Compliance Branch of the department.
“The priority is on frontline personnel who interact directly with the public to ensure they perform their duties in compliance with laws, regulations, directives and SOP,” he said, adding that officers found engaging in misconduct would be dealt with accordingly.
“The basic principle is the more frequent the inspections, the higher the level of prevention.”
He said last year, 19,352 officers and personnel were inspected and 1,396 individuals were found to have committed various misconducts.
Mohamad Faisol said: “Given the responsibility of police personnel to serve the public, all levels within the force must take decisive action to prevent such incidents from happening.”
He said the decision to terminate the service of members involved in misconduct is a commitment to enhancing quality.
“The total number of police personnel in Malaysia exceeds 200,000, so the 1,671 members facing disciplinary action represent less than 1% of the force.”
However, recent cases of misconduct were serious and drew public consternation and attention.
One case involved L/Cpl Muhammad Alif Monjani, who was charged on July 26 with murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code following a personal dispute.
Another on June 5 involved an alleged assault of a disabled e-hailing driver and is being investigated by the department.
Senior officers ACP Chin Kiam Kong and DSP Suhairon Abdullah also faced charges on May 28 for allegedly accepting a RM1 million bribe to close an investigation concerning firearms.
Mohamad Faisol said addressing police misconduct requires stringent disciplinary actions and a holistic approach to improve the system.
“Although existing measures, such as dismissals and sanctions, have some effect, there is room for enhancement.
“This includes exploring alternative disciplinary actions and tightening recruitment and selection processes to ensure only the most qualified and ethical candidates are admitted into the force.”
He said increasing the number of online reporting channels is crucial to make it easier for the public to report misconduct, adding that this step could enhance transparency and accountability within the force.
