AFTER all the bad press/publicity about the bad apples in the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) force, the topic appears to be quite different this Chinese New Year.
Instead of stories of the ad hoc roadblocks, people are talking about the transformation in PDRM that they have always hoped to see especially after reading news of the current Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Razarudin Husain making his regular rounds to check on the force.
“Hopefully, this will not be just for the show. His recent reprimand of the OCPDs may appear to be demoralising for the police force but the opposite is true,” observed one relative.
“We now respect the police a lot more because of what this IGP and another senior officer did recently. They are speaking on our behalf. For them to do it openly shows that they have taken cognisance of the issue. This is the best way to restore the dignity to the police force since they carry the royal crest.”
The relative was referring to the Federal Criminal Investigation Chief Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain whose remark of “either you change or you will be changed” went viral.
Cheer up, good cops!
Another relative commented: “There are fewer roadblocks in my area this Chinese New Year”.
Laughter broke out in the dining hall. “No angpows,” quipped another. “Now, you must be extra careful. Just pick the summons and settle it.”
This is true as Section 16 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 states that any person who corruptly gives, agrees to give, promises or offers to any person any gratification as an inducement can be charged in court, and if found guilty, they can face significant penalties, including fines and imprisonment.
The two other incidents, including a third one involving two foreign tourists being offered to settle the traffic offence with a bribe of RM100 which have been reported in the news and on social media cropped up in the discussion.
Thumbs-down, bad cops!
Ten traffic policemen manning a roadblock were recently apprehended by the PDRM Integrity Unit for having over RM3,000 in the patrol car and an officer was also found having a certain sum of money in his wallet.
“This is nothing new to us and they would often pick strategic locations to set up roadblocks,” an uncle who is in his sixties chipped in. “They will never set up roadblocks in kampung area where motorcyclists don’t wear helmets. The reason is because they are most unlikely to pay either a bribe or the summons.”
The most blatant example was the cop who offered an alternative to foreign tourists. “Now, they will tell the whole world and this story will be repeated many times when they return home,” he added.
Although the above comments did not happen within one setting, they are nonetheless real comments made by people.
A few more traffic cops caught
Enough bambooing. This time, there are also traffic cops “caught” for going all out beyond their call of duty to carry out their work.
Some of them truly deserve our salute for their acts of kindness which must never be forgotten.
Take for example, this traffic officer who took the extra mile to walk an old couple across a busy street. Although some motorists stopped and allowed them to cross safely, this may not be the case with every motorist.
What is wrong stopping for a minute and giving the thumbs-up to the policeman?
In another video uploaded by The Star, another traffic cop deserves the thumbs-up from netizens. This video has attracted over 1.5 million views in the past three years ago, showing a traffic policeman going all out to nab a reckless driver.
Imagine if there were such traffic cops around, reckless drivers would become kings of the road a.k.a. “road bullies.” This cop has apparently risked his own life, resulting in the suspect being nabbed before he caused injury to other motorists.
In another incident, a traffic cop was seen rescuing a motorist whose car had submerged in the flood.
Netizens must also not forget that the cops often risk their lives when they are carrying out their duty. For example, in the incident featured below, the culprit attempted to ram into one police officer before speeding off.
With a new team of top brass now in place, we can hopefully expect the battle against bad cops is on. The PDRM can do without the corrupt officers. If they still do not turn on a new leaf, they can expect to be arrested, detained or much worse to be officially discharged from service.
The government has ordered bodycams for every cop on duty but as pointed out by Razaruddin, without proper supervision by the district police chiefs, even the most expensive gadgets will not solve the problem of the bad apples within the force. – Feb 16, 2024
