CONGRATULATIONS to the Royal Malaysian Police for commemorating its 201st anniversary yesterday with a new motto “Tegas, Adil dan Berhemah” (Firm, Fair and Courteous) coupled with a new badge “Integriti Amalan Kita” (Integrity is Our Practice).

The introduction of a new motto and a new badge certainly speak of the determination of the police to reflect the current needs of Malaysians in its challenging task to enforce law and order and to work towards reducing crime which has been a subject of major concern to all Malaysians.

Even a new attire has been introduced for police personnel involved in operational duties.

The rough and rugged blue fatigues which ensure greater agility when in action certainly convey to the public that they are ready for combat to deal with criminals.

The changes and reform that have been introduced clearly indicate that the top brass of the police led by the IGP are working towards a world-class force emphasising on professionalism and integrity.

Ethics, honesty, good moral values and efficiency are essential if we are to build a force which prides itself on integrity. What remains to be done now is to translate the new spirit into ground action to ensure that crime and the fear of crime among the people are effectively addressed.

This means that more police personnel will be deployed on the ground, especially in crime-prone areas, making them visible and acting as a deterrent to the criminals. Public safety should be given the highest priority in our quest to be a fully developed nation and to enhance the quality of life of all Malaysians.

As police presence is essential in the fight against crime, the police must be provided with more manpower to fight crime and carry out crime prevention work.

The police force now has 90,000 officers and men. This works out to a ratio of one policeman to every 385 people compared with the Interpol ratio of 1 to 250. With the 2008 Budget proposal to recruit an additional 60,000 police personnel over the next five years (2007–2011), it would mean that we will be striving for a 150,000-strong police force in the years ahead.

In this regard, our police training colleges must be expanded with more comprehensive facilities to meet the increase in recruitment and enhance the quality of policing.

Besides ensuring an appropriate duration of classroom training, trainee constables and inspectors must also be given more ground or field training by accompanying their seniors on crime prevention rounds.

I wish to take this opportunity to suggest to the police to set up a high-powered police council to review and enhance training methods to keep up with the challenging times, especially with regard to improving the quality of police investigation on all police reports lodged.

With a council, it can help play a role to monitor and check on the quality, professionalism and effectiveness of all training programmes. The council can also look into the implementation of MS ISO 9001 certification programme for all departments and units to improve the quality of the service and help strengthen the public trust and confidence towards the police.

Crime prevention is not only the responsibility of the police. The private sector and the community as a whole have an important role to play too. In this connection, the MCPF calls on all Malaysians to work towards zero tolerance for crime by developing an anti-crime culture and making safety a way of life.

Finally, it needs to be stressed that tackling crime is not just a matter of recruiting more policemen or imposing stiffer sentences on offenders alone. The focus of any anti-crime strategy should be not only on catching the criminals and punishing them but also on getting to the roots of the contributory social and economic causes of crime and removing them. They range from drugs, poverty, broken homes to the breakdown of family values.

TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE,
Vice-chairman,
Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation.

Source: The Star – March 27, 2008