Musa: Rights of all cops must be upheld under IPCMC

PETALING JAYA: Bukit Aman’s top brass should ensure that the rights of all police personnel and officers are upheld under the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), said Tan Sri Musa Hassan.

The former Inspector-General of Police said the rule of law and natural justice should apply when it comes to administrative action on disciplinary cases involving police personnel.

“The rights of the men and women in the police force must never be eroded,” he said.

Previously, Musa had said that the formation of the IPCMC went against Article 140 of the Federal Constitution.

He also insisted that amending the article could lead to outside manipulation and would not work.

“I do not agree with this. It will open the door to outside manipulation on the police force,” he had said recently, adding that Article 140 gave the police commission jurisdiction over all members of the police force.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Association of Certified Fraud Examiners president Datuk Seri Akhbar Satar said the IPCMC should focus exclusively on overseeing the police force, including receiving public complaints against police personnel as well as preventing and combating corruption.

“The panel members of the commission should be those who were proficient in policing matters in order to mete out a fair and just outcome in any hearing.

“They should also be familiar with the work and role of the police force such as investigations and other policing matters,” he said.

Such moves will lend credibility to the commission, he added.

“A panel member should not be out to bash the police but to offer solutions instead.

“All investigations must be conducted fairly to both sides without fear and favour.

“The advantage of this new commission is that all police misconduct and corruption-related cases will be the responsibility of the IPCMC.

“Conducting an investigation can be very complex and time-consuming, thus it also releases the police’s burden to look into the integrity issues among the police officers,” Akhbar said.

It was reported that Bukit Aman had given its thumbs up to the IPCMC, which is expected to get off the ground this year.

This followed discussions between the police top brass, led by Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Abdul Hamid Bador, and the National Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Centre (GIACC) on Friday.