DON'T INTERFERE: POLITICIANS WARNED BY IGP

Politicians are warned not to interfere with the work of the Police Personnels such as requesting exemption from traffic summonses and to ask excuse motor cycle riders
from wearing the helmets. Is that all?


IGP tells politicians not to interfere

By BERNARD SEE/ Staronline

GEORGE TOWN: Politicians should not interfere when police personnel are carrying out their duties, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan.

“One politician recently sent 100 traffic summonses and told me to cancel them. He claimed the offenders were his constituents and did not have money to settle the summonses.

“There are also politicians who tell my OCPDs not to summon those riding their motorcycles in the kampung areas without helmets. How can we do that?” he asked.

Musa, who was speaking at a national forum on crime and policing, said the police would not be able to carry out their duties effectively if these politicians continued to interfere.

Earlier, he admitted that the country’s crime rate was on the rise but was not as bad as reported in the media and blogs.

“Last year’s crime rate per 100,000 population was only 772 cases compared to Hong Kong (1,166), Japan (1,569) and Australia (4,270). The rising crime rate is actually a global problem but it is still at a manageable level.

“I have already taken steps to counter the rise in crime rate like improving the response time to a crime scene, building police stations in new housing estates and installing CCTV cameras in crime-prone areas.”

On the small number of Chinese joining the police force, Musa said most wanted to be officers and not constables.

“There is still a shortage of policemen despite over 7,000 recruits a few months ago.

The force now has over 97,000 personnel and needs at least 40,000 more.

“I have asked for another 60,000 to be recruited over the next five years but this still will not be enough as there are hundreds of retirements annually,” he added.

Musa said he also wanted the national crime solving rate to be at least 40%.

“From today, the public can lodge reports at the various marine police bases nationwide. I have also directed the marine police personnel to be involved in crime prevention on land instead of just the high seas.

“The General Operations Force, whose duties used to be only in the jungles, now have a wider scope of work. They are responsible for the security in airports and certain islands in the country,” he said.

On the police force being biased against the participants of illegal gatherings in Kuala Lumpur, he said the police only acted because it was getting a bit out of hand.

“We are never biased. We are only following the law as the organisers did not apply for a permit. The permit will only be given if the gatherings do not cause public chaos.”

Also at the opening were Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (Penang) chairman Datuk Seri Kamal Hashim and state police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob.