INSPECTOR-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador recently revealed that the culture of police officials accepting bribes is widespread and stems from the lowest rank officers to the top leadership.
The fact that the country’s top cop is the bearer of this very bad news about the country’s police force is evident that all is not well within the institution.
Various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been very vocal in calling for an Independent Police Complaints and Monitoring Commission (IPCMC), and it is high time that this is considered, as this is a good move to address the issue of police misconduct.
A few weeks ago, we were shocked by the news that there are cartels within the Royal Police of Malaysia (PDRM) who are not only protecting and colluding with criminal organisations and individuals but are also powerful enough to want to take down the IGP.
Why, just several days ago, during the second phase of Op Pelican 3.0, the police arrested 10 policemen and two Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers suspected to be linked to fugitive businessman Nicky Liow!
The prevalence of corrupted practices within the police force is precisely why the IPCMC is so important. The toxic culture of receiving bribes and asking for hush money needs to be reduced and rooted out, and what better way to do this than through a truly independent IPCMC?
Strangely enough, there have been several counter-arguments against the formation of such a commission. Chief among these arguments is the notion that the police themselves are more than capable of disciplining themselves.
Well, isn’t the events in the past few weeks proof enough that this is no longer the case?
In fact, giving an organisation power to investigate its own allegations and abuse and subsequently, to decide on the punishments is akin to asking students to mark their own exam papers. Put simply, both circumstances are absolutely ridiculous.
Furthermore, that the IGP has opted to air the police force’s dirty laundry in public is evidence enough that the misconduct within the force has escalated to critical levels that can no longer be resolved internally or by transfers or disciplinary reviews by their colleagues.
More action is needed at this point, and this is why the Government must support the establishment of the IPCMC to address this matter immediately.
The police force is an institution that belongs to all Malaysians, and this goes without saying that we deserve a clean and effective PDRM. – May 2, 2021
