Dear Editor,

CONGRATULATIONS to the Royal Malaysian police on 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 badge speaks of the determination of the police force 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. The rough and rugged blue fatigues, which ensure greater agility when in action, convey to the public that they are ready to deal with criminals. The new changes and reforms that have been introduced indicate that they, led by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, are working towards a world-class police force that emphasises professionalism and integrity. Ethics, honesty, good moral values and efficiency are essential if we are to build a strong and dignified force. What remains to be done is to translate the new spirit of the force into ground action to ensure that crime is 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 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 Royal Malaysian Police must have more manpower to fight crime. 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 Interpol’s ratio of 1 to 250. With the plans in the National Budget to recruit an additional 60,000 police personnel over the next five years, it would mean that we will be striving for a 150,000 strong police force in the years ahead. In addition, our police training colleges must be expanded, with more comprehensive facilities to meet the increase in the number of recruits and enhance the quality of policing. Besides ensuring an appropriate duration of classroom training, trainee constables and inspectors must also be given more field training by accompanying their seniors on crime prevention rounds. I wish to take this opportunity to suggest that police set-up a high- powered Police Council to review and enhance training methods to keep up with the challenging times, especially in regard to improving the quality of police investigations on all police reports lodged. A council could help play a role in monitoring and checking on the quality, professionalism and effectiveness of all training programmes for the police. The council could also look into the implementation of the MS ISO 9001 certification programme for all departments and units in the Royal Malaysian Police to help strengthen the public trust and confidence in the police. Crime prevention is not only the responsibility of the police. The private sector and the community also have an important role to play. The Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation calls on all Malaysians to work towards zero tolerance for crime by developing and maintaining an anti-crime culture and making safety a way of life. Finally, it needs to be stressed that tackling crime is not simply a matter of recruiting more policemen or imposing stiffer sentences on offenders alone. The focus of any anti-crime strategy should not only be about catching criminals and punishing them, but also on getting to the roots of the contributing social and economic causes of crime and removing them, whatever they may be from drugs to poverty to broken homes, even to the breakdown of family values.

Source: Malay Mail – March 28, 2008