MALAYSIANS have had enough of hearing of internal disciplinary actions being taken against enforcement officers.
The more such slaps on the wrist are administered, the more will be the cases of forgeries and such criminal activities among enforcement officers. Make that a surge. More on this later.
File criminal charges against the culprits if the police don’t want to taint its reputation. If reputation is eroded, so will public trust.
According to media reports, last year alone 1,404 police officers faced disciplinary action, of whom 164 were dismissed.
Over the past decade, local media quoted Bukit Aman sources as saying that 15,546 officers were disciplined, of whom 1,671 were dismissed. The above includes 6,646 officers who faced various disciplinary actions from 2020 to September last year.
The number of disciplinary actions, including dismissals, is alarming for an enforcement agency that is depended upon for public safety.
Compared to the above, only 27 officers were charged in court for corruption and abuse of power since September last year, according to media reports.
No comparable figures were reported for the 10 years up to last year. If the 27 officers charged for the nine months of last year are a guide, we can assume that fewer were charged in court.
Yesterday’s remand of a police corporal in Kuala Muda, Kedah, is an instance where compassion for the culprit may have overpowered the police.
We grant that the police are still investigating the corporal for alleged forgery for buying a medical certificate.
This isn’t a complicated case. No delay should be entertained like investigating whether he had previous such convictions. Such offences shouldn’t be tolerated in the police force.
Police officers, especially those in the Criminal Investigation Department— it doesn’t matter if he is in the canine unit, as the corporal is — must be squeaky clean.
Producing a false MC to skip duty certainly doesn’t make him deserving of such a unit. Those who investigate the criminal activities of others must themselves be taint-free. Perhaps an old Malay proverb says it all: harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi. (Meaning: betrayal of trust by those in positions of responsibility.)
More and more serious crimes are being reported against police officers. This is despite repeated warnings and threats from the top brass of the police, including the inspector-general of police.
Consider the recent case of alleged sexual coercion and extortion against a female student. This is no simple crime.
The police officers were supposed to protect the student, but instead they decided to turn criminals themselves.
We are glad that the police are recommending that the three police officers involved be charged with sexual coercion or extortion.
We understand that the police can only recommend that an alleged criminal be charged. Whether he is so charged depends very much on the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
The deputy public prosecutor, too, must take a serious view of such cases involving police officers, some even senior officers. Public interest must take priority.
Should the officers be found guilty, the DPP must convince the court that the maximum sentence be imposed. The frequency of such crimes is already troubling the nation.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
