I REFER to the proposal by the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan that retired army personnel be recruited to beef up the police force (”Uniform switch” — NST, April 13).

The Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police, in its report released in May 2005, had highlighted inadequacies with respect to human-resource management and performance.

The commission had recommended, inter alia, recruitment of civilians for posts that do not require the competencies or powers of a trained uniformed personnel.

This would enable the uniformed force to emphasise its core business without being bogged down in non-police work.

It also recommended the force progressively divest itself of prosecution of cases, noting that it is the job of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and to enhance ethnic and gender representation.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, also the internal security minister then, had directed the police to take measures to implement the recommendations even as the commission was doing its work.

In light of this, efforts to streamline and strengthen the force based on the recommendations of the commission had begun well before 2005. As such, the need to employ retired army personnel as a stop-gap measure should not have arisen.

We have thousands of unemployed youth with degrees in various disciplines. Besides this, there are also thousands of school-leavers with Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia qualifications.

Many of them will be keen to join the police force. So we cannot say there is shortage of human capital. If preference is given to graduates, we will have well-balanced and qualified police officers who will be an asset to the force.

S. SUNDARESON, Petaling Jaya

Source: NST – April 30, 2008