THE new theme unveiled by the police is definitely a breath of fresh air and is definitely moving in tandem with the present changing political landscape of the country.

It stems from the much-needed apolitical approach that society demands.

The police I believe are on the right track to achieving their objectives in ensuring a safer society.

The new badge on integrity is only an extension of what is already expected of the uniform as by itself it stands for all that is morally right.

Obviously the challenges ahead will be much more demanding and the force has to be prepared in meeting them head on with the right expertise.

The call to reduce crime is apt and the police should stress internally that the type of crime that alarms the public most should be given priority.

Serious and confrontational crimes, regardless of who the victim is, should be solved efficiently by identifying and bringing the perpetrators to justice swiftly.

I trust the men in blue will rise to the occasion, as they have often done before, to deliver what is required of them.

The police must also be seen to embrace the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission with open arms and take on the challenges that come with it. This will go a long way in restoring public trust and confidence.

The call to increase all aspects of community policing, especially on raising awareness on how to assist the police in the war against crime, should be enhanced.

Nevertheless, a prudent and cautious approach must be adopted in encouraging the public to do crime prevention duties as they are neither trained in using the appropriate and necessary force, nor legally protected if they use excessive force when confronted with or in confronting criminals.

Officers with the right experience and knowledge must swiftly be brought into the relevant departments, especially in the area of intelligence gathering combined with skilful pre-evidence expertise, so that admissible evidence can be collected professionally and sufficiently to enable the full force of the law to be applied on criminals.

Hopefully, the force will adapt swiftly to the growing culture of transparency and accountability in line with society’s aspirations and deliver the goods.

To all police officers I wish them all the best on the 201st Police Day.

G. SELVA,
Ipoh.

Source: The Star – March 29, 2008