Restoring pride in the police

THE police force is long overdue for a major revamp. The way forward was laid out in the report of the Royal Commission To Enhance The Operation And Management of The Royal Malaysia Police in 2006 but the powers that be failed to recognise the urgency to reform and chose not to take the prescription back then.

Many in the service and veterans are still resisting reform although it is crystal clear that this is required in the wake of the 1MDB scandal and the periodic incidents of abuse of power.

The arrest-first-investigate-later syndrome has become the norm rather than the exception.

Normally, the urgency of an aggressive approach is imperative only in dealing with serious crimes where time is of the essence and lives are at risk.

Lackadaisical attitude and indifference to detention have created a big problem when it comes to being fair during the early stages of investigations. Nevertheless, the discretion to act swiftly to arrest and detain must be available to investigators in the revamp when it comes to serious offences.

Yes, the police are roaring now with the big seizure of cash and valuables from the 1MDB scandal, but this is only coming after the fall of the previous government. The fact that the police did not take action earlier could amount to dereliction of duty.

The blame, however really lies in the control that the political masters have over the police at the material time. Therefore, the manner in which the inspector-general of police is appointed will be key to an effective reform process.

We need the police force to be able to enforce the law regardless of who is at the other end of the investigation. This warrants a strong force accountable only to the people, and that can only mean answerable to Parliament.

The implementation of the 125 recommendations by the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of The Royal Malaysia Police, especially the formation of the IPCMC, is undoubtedly demoralising to the force but it is a necessary step.

The force must go back to the basic roles and functions as stipulated in the Police Act, which must be strictly followed in the interpretation of the law.

The country cannot afford to have a weakened and demoralised police force as this would embolden criminals. Maintaining public order would also become a serious problem if there is no effective policing. A balance must be struck to maintain police confidence and morale in the war against crime.

Investigators must be allowed to gather evidence at the preliminary stages of investigations when it comes to serious offences. Arrest, detention and interrogation must be fine-tuned further for such offences to give every opportunity for admissible evidence to be gathered, combined with a clear perspective of keeping the human rights of a detainee intact.

All tools of investigation in the criminal procedure code must be afforded to investigators, including the recording and presentation of confessions. To understand this balance, the criminal justice system must be experienced and knowledgeable enough to grasp how the criminal mind works and what it is capable of.

A clear demarcation in the command of the police by the executive must be drawn. The police force must have moral conscience ingrained naturally when enforcing the law. The future lies in not only professionally keeping public order and fighting crime but in also handling political dissent fairly.

Many elephants in the room were ignored blatantly in the past to favour the ruling elite. That definitely has to end.

Corruption and abuse of power within the ranks must be replaced by the desire to serve and protect. Making pride, honour and integrity their priority would restore respect for our men in blue.

G. SELVA Ipoh