Labuan cops pledge to work closely with media
LABUAN: Labuan police contingent pledged to keep the momentum of close cooperation with the media fraternity in the area of information dissemination in the interest of the public.
Labuan police chief ACP Adzhar Othman said police performance in handling crime-related cases was measured by most of the articles run by the mass media.
“Therefore, it is crucial to continue working together with the media, to improve the negative public perception on the police effectiveness and performance,” he said at the Media Appreciation here, yesterday.
Adzhar, the first Labuan police chief promoted to assistant commissioner (ACP), said the mass media played an important role in citizens’ attitudes toward law enforcement agents.
“And undoubtedly, print news and broadcast media too rely on the police for information and present a large amount of coverage to crime stories,” he said.
He said the police believed reporting of proactive activities created an image of the police as effective and efficient investigators of crime.
“The media need the police to provide them with quick, reliable sources of crime information, while the police have a vested interest in maintaining a positive public image, and as such, I believe the police must engage mutually beneficial relationship with the media.
“We are also aware of the rise of social media, and camera phones have democratized reporting,” he said.
Adzhar also said strong community relations might help facilitate positive police interactions and dispel myths associated with police work and activities.
“I’m a strong proponent of community-oriented policing and within that concept, we solve problems ... we work with the community, we form partnerships so that together we listen and hear one another.
“We understand what the problems are and through that partnership, we find the solutions to the problems that any particular community faces.
“I believe that communities are different and so it requires that a police agent works with a particular community to understand and know the problems experienced by the specific communities and find specific solutions for the problems of those communities,” he added.