No one-uniform patrols

No one-uniform patrols

ANTI-CRIME EFFORT: Joint teams will always be headed by a police officer, says IGP

JOINT patrols against crime will always be headed by the police and the presence of other enforcement agencies in the patrols is to act as reinforcement.

Stressing this, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said none of the other participating agencies would be given police powers.

“A police officer will always be in the patrol teams and only he is empowered to carry out police duties,” Ismail said.

The IGP also clarified there was no “one uniform”

system in the joint patrols as reported in an English daily recently.

The joint patrols are currently carried out by police, People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) and the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (JPAM).

“Rela and the Civil Defence have their own uniforms, so do police. There are no plans to have everyone wearing the same blue uniform,”

said Ismail, adding there was no such thing as one uniform for all.

On the training that all on the joint patrols would have to attend, he said the stint was to brief them on the standard operating procedure (SOP).

“They will not be doing any police work. They are not given police powers. They are only joining us on the patrols.”

A joint patrol team usually comprises four people, with at least one being a policeman.

“So far, the joint patrols have been well received by the public. There have been no complaints of abuse.

“Furthermore, the initiative is still at its early stage, so if we notice any problems, we will work on them,” Ismail said after launching a two-day senior policemen’s conference here yesterday.

The joint JPAM-Rela patrols started in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang and Johor last year.

At present, there are 20,000 officers who either had undergone or are taking part in the training.

Police are hoping to increase the number of policemen on patrol by year-end and there are also plans to rope in other authorities such as City Hall, Rukun Tetangga, auxiliary police and non-governmental organisations.

It was recently reported that under the police’s national Blue Ocean strategy, selected Rela and Civil Defence officers on patrol with policemen will don dark blue uniforms — with only their badges differentiating them.

It was reported they would undergo three weeks of SOP training before donning the uniform and the powers accorded to them would be based on their rank and experience.

Various parties, such as Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), Bar Council, Tenaganita and former cops, had blasted the “one uniform” system.

They claimed that such a move would “cheapen” the uniform, demoralise the spirit of policemen and also open the patrols to abuse.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Husein, in a statement, said police should adapt Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 3C concept — communication, creativity, and collaboration — to improve their level of service.

Present at the event were Deputy Home Minister Datuk Abu Seman Yusop and Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar.