The Home Ministry says extra drills for police personnel aim to instil discipline, not cause harm, with strict oversight and health assessments in place.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry (KDN) has stressed that extra drills or field duties in the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) are not a form of physical punishment intended to cause harm, but rather a mechanism aimed at instilling discipline among personnel.
Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said the measure is carried out under Paragraph 32 of the Inspector-General of Police’s Standing Orders (PT KPN) A110 on Discipline for minor offences.
“For your information, field duties are not a form of physical punishment intended to cause harm to personnel. Instead, they serve as a mechanism to instil discipline, build character and encourage behavioural change in dealing with minor offences,” he said when replying to a question from Roy Angau Gingkoi (GPS-Lubok Antu) in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Roy Angau asked about the standard operating procedure (SOP) for implementing extra drills following the death of a policeman in Sepang in May, and whether the ministry planned to standardise disciplinary measures regardless of rank.
Commenting on the incident, Shamsul Anuar said the PDRM Integrity and Standards Compliance Department (JIPS) had issued a new administrative directive dated June 29 requiring the use of a health assessment form as part of measures to strengthen existing procedures.
He said existing regulations stipulate that field duties must not exceed four hours a day or be carried out for more than five days.
“The supervising officer is responsible for ensuring that the duties are carried out prudently, in a controlled and safe manner, taking into account the personnel’s physical condition, health, surrounding environment and other factors that may affect their safety,” he said.
Responding to claims that extra drills were imposed only on lower-ranking personnel, he said Paragraph 32 of the Inspector-General of Police’s Standing Orders was introduced specifically for junior police officers as an alternative to formal disciplinary action.
However, he dismissed allegations of favouritism based on rank, explaining that disciplinary action against senior police officers was governed by the relevant legal provisions applicable to their respective service category.
Meanwhile, replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Awang Hashim (PN-Pendang) on concerns over bullying or ragging, Shamsul Anuar said every disciplinary measure was subject to a strict process and could not be imposed solely at the discretion of superior officers.
