The post of  Inspector-General of Police has been vacant for more than a month and should not be delayed any further to restore public confidence in the police force as well as police morale

(Petaling Jaya, Wednesday): The post of  Inspector-General of Police has been vacant for more than a month since the ignominous resignation of Tan Sri Rahim Noor  and should not be delayed any further to restore public confidence in the police force as well as police morale

As  the police is facing an unprecedented twin  crisis of confidence both among the Malaysian people  and the international community, and a crisis of morale in the police force which must be at the lowest ebb in its history, the Cabinet should regard the appointment of a new Inspector-General of Police a top national priority.

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Norian Mai has been   carrying out the duties of the IGP for the past month and I do not see why he should not be appointed as the  new IGP.

The Cabinet should be fully mindful that any delay in the appointment of a new IGP would only delay the process of restoration of public confidence and police morale, and would be construed as a lack of confidence by the government in Tan Sri Norian Mai  - which can only aggravate and undermine police morale further.


Whoever is the new IGP has probably the most challenging task ever faced by the holder of this post - to carve in public mind the image that the police is the people’s friend and not the people’s enemy and restore public confidence in the professionalism and integrity of the police.

The police would have taken a major stride to restore public confidence in its professionalism and integrity  if it supports the establishment of a Police Ombudsman, who is completely independent of the Police, whose functions would include receiving and investigating  public complaints about serious police misconduct such as abuses of power and  corruption.

Recently, there had been a spate of police shoot-outs resulting in widespread public concerns about  trigger-happy police personnel who constitute a threat to public safety, such as:
 

• The incident on Oct. 2 last year where the police shot dead five suspected kidnappers, including an eight-months pregnant woman N. Selvamalar, 31, at Taman Sungai Besi Indah in Kuala Lumpur after a RM3 million ransom was paid for the release of the 11-year-old son of former Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib.
• The  shoot-out in Tumpat on Oct. 3 last year in which six men, including an MIC division youth chief,  were shot dead.
• The fatal police shooting of a Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) teller,  Mohd Zailani Mohd Salleh, 33, on January 8, 1999 who was mistaken by the police as one of the four bank robbers.

Cases of such  police shoot-outs resulting in the injury or death of innocent members of public should be thoroughly investigated by the Police Ombudsman.

The question is whether the new Inspector-General of Police would have the courage and confidence to institute such wide-ranging police reforms.

 (10/2/99)