your say'Given the number of such incidents involving shoot-to-kill actions, thuggery and corruption, it indicates poor leadership, management and training.'

Five cops charged with assault

Soapbox_40a0: There must have been an officer-in-charge of the police station when all this happened? Was he hard of hearing? At the very least, a few senior officers should have been charged for abetting. Only then can we begin to put a stop to such shameful policing in our country.

Not Confused: Some observers may complain that this incident is being politicised. If it was a single incident, that could be said, but given the number of such incidents involving shoot-to-kill actions, thuggery and corruption, then it indicates poor leadership, management and training.

Indeed, IGP Ismail Omar and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein are complicit in allowing the police force (PDRM) licence to carry out these actions without reprimand or change in policy.

It is, therefore, a government problem, particularly when the police actions are so often seen to be bias in favour of the BN government.

Yobama: These officers are acting like hooligans and are giving a bad image to the police force, which already has a bad image anyway. Let's see if the charges stick.

Hopefully, the convictions send a clear message to other constables and officers that their role is to protect the public from criminals, such as these 'rotten apples'.

Lover Boy: This is not an ordinary assault-and-battery case perpetrated by a common criminal. They are police officers. A heavy bail must be imposed so that they will not run away.

What about the money they have taken from the poor man? I hope the DPP (deputy public prosecutor) has the guts to appeal and impose a bigger bail.

Lulu: For someone who not only beat this man up but also threatened to plant drugs in his car, which could lead to a mandatory death sentence, a one-year sentence is way too low. Our lawmakers should look into amending the law.

Either that or the prosecution has used the lowest charge possible to nail these allegedly bad cops.

HJ Angus: The law should be changed so that such parties are sent to prison for abusing their uniforms. Merely fining them is too lenient and a stint in jail will be a better deterrent.

Of course, the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) is also very important to win back the support of the public to enable the police to be more effective in fighting crime.

David Yee 154a: Is the government for the rakyat or for the police officers? Do you think this is enough to stop the abuse? Will the enforcement officers be terminated for this brutal act if found guilty? Is our lock-up safe enough for detainees? Is abiding the law by law enforcers part of the PM's key performance indicators?

So many questions, but yet so little answers. Are our leaders deaf and mute to simple things like this?

Sentinel: Why are they facing the same charges as civilians? They should face heavier penalties because they are in uniform and they should also be sacked and removed from the police force, if convicted.

And Home Minister Hishammuddin should resign to take responsibility - then there is true justice.

Cala: Decentralise the police into states as anything too big is bad for the people. Since BN is a foregone conclusion, is it high time that Pakatan Rakyat think about how to curtail the power of an over-bloated enforcement agency. The police are getting too huge to be manageable.

I am hoping that when the Pakatan coalition form the next government, they will find ways to re-structure (through decentralisation) the whole police force into state police - each one accountable to the menteri besar and paid for via the state budget.

This is one way to show that the ‘real tuan' is the ‘people', not them as evidenced from a spate of recent police brutality. On the other hand, the ‘federal police' may remain; albeit reduced into a much smaller force to do specialised functions.

Malaysia is the modern-day version of the ‘iron cage'. How does one explain the collective action of police in the incident involving groups of police manhandling Chia Buang Hing on a trivial traffic offence on those fateful days of Dec 18-19, 2010?

In Max Weber's (1930) concept of ‘iron cage', bureaucrats - those who work in civil service - would not behave rationally as we expect, that is, in the interest of the organisation nor refrain from indulging in acts which are obviously against the law. They were constrained only by organisational culture.

Swipenter: It is a fact of life now that public servants and politicians caught and charged with committing offences, be it civil or criminal, get away with a slap on the wrist or discharged due to lack of evidence and/or shoddy work of the investigators and public prosecutors.

But this is not always the case. If you step on the toes of the wrong person enough, the full force of the law would be used to get you a maximum sentence and/or fine.

Changeagent: This is merely another scripted ploy by the authorities to hoodwink the masses, without any consideration of seeking real justice for the victim.

Are we supposed to be satisfied that only five out of the 11 suspects were charged? Moreover, how come no theft charges were laid considering the victim's claim that his money was stolen from him?

It is high time for the Home Ministry to become more serious about disciplining and getting rid of the bad elements in the police force. The public demands nothing less than strong and unwavering police integrity that includes zero tolerance of police corruption and brutality.

Harrisman: Only one year's jail or fine RM2,000 for all the hurt caused? They could have killed the man.

Anonymous_5fb: When the new IGP took over from Musa Hassan, there is hope that he will be a much more decent police chief than his predecessor. But to my horror, Ismail Omar is no better based on cases involving police brutality after he took over.

Let's hope this new IGP is not worse than Musa. IPCMC is a must to regain public confidence in our police force.

Anonymous_4182: Unbelievable! The police has filed a counter-report against Chia accusing him of making a false report. What exactly is the PDRM hoping for by filing such a counter report? Win the case?

If the PDRM is at all worried about its image/credibility, this certainly is not the way to get back public confidence. Is there no way for the PDRM to admit that they have bad apples and take action against the culprits? What say the IGP?

By Election Fan: Harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi. Street crimes has not been curbed despite what was reported involving the National Key Result Areas (NKRAs).

We, the poor rakyat, are suffering in fear. Security guards and boom gates are installed in most housing areas in Klang Valley. Would we need to spend extra just to be able to sleep well if our police are efficient?

Obviously, our ‘licensed thugs' are not only not performing to expectation but are behaving like lords and joining in the criminal acts. What is the new IGP doing? What is the home minister doing? We are becoming a lawless state where enforcers are becoming thugs.

V: The crime rate is down. True, now the crimes are committed by the cops.

 

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