YOURSAY ‘IGP, you seek ideas? I'll give you one - rule of law, plain and simple. Do your job professionally, objectively and without fear or favour.'

IGP: Give us ideas on how to reduce crime

your sayFerdtan: IGP (inspector-general of police) Ismail Omar, don't take us for an idiot and make a fool out of us. Out of the blue, you want to engage with us; doing some kind of PR (public relation) stunt and asking our ideas on how to reduce crimes.

Isn't it a bit cliche - coming after what the police did to Bersih 2.0 demonstrators? Let's us spell this out loud and clear: we have sufficient laws to stop and reduce crime. There is really nothing wrong with our laws, procedures and methods currently been practised by the police.

What we don't have is honesty and integrity in our top men in blue. They are not seen as a friend of rakyat. They never practice impartiality in the carrying of the duties. They are seen frequently to abuse their power, helping the BN government to 'harass' the opposition.

Quigonbond: One thing I can't stand about the police force isn't so much it beats people up at peaceful gathering, but when cops stop motorists just to make a quick buck by threatening them with traffic summons if they refuse to offer them a bribe.

Worse is when their zeal for nabbing people over trivial offences is not matched by equal zeal to improve their investigative techniques so that they can actually arrest, detain and assist the prosecution in the evidential chain without resorting to ISA. Don't even get us started on selective investigation at the behest of Umno leaders.

IGP, you seek ideas? I'll give you one - rule of law, plain and simple. Do your job professionally, objectively and without fear or favour. Don't just do what you think is right, but do what will be seen as right.

But I guess you've heard all that before, haven't you?

Cherry Bun: Dear IGP, you are a professional man appointed to maintain law and order in this country. If you feel incapable or not qualified to hold the top job in the police force, please tender your resignation and leave it to a more qualified person to do it.

Kingfisher: First and foremost, get the men in blue to eradicate corruption from within its rank. Encourage the men in blue not to discriminate in carrying out their responsibilities.

Have a more reasonable racial representation in the force at all levels. Gain and exercise a respectful independence from the politicians. Be transparent and accountable and take responsibility for your imperfections.

Gain the confidence of the general public that the men in blue are primarily interested in the well-being of the nation as a whole and not out to promote and protect the interests of any specific individual, group or community.

Mohd: Even my 10-year-old kid knows the answer. IGP, stop playing politics and do your job.

Paul Warren: Easy, Mr IGP. Do you know the difference between national security and Umno's insecurity? It looks like you don't.

So lesson no 1 - national security has to do with the nation and the security of its borders and its way of life. As for Umno's insecurity, it has to do with their paranoia about losing political power and their ability to loot the national coffers.

Once you know the difference, you will find that you don't need three-quarters of those in your Special Branch (SB). You can then deploy them to chase after real crooks, instead of those wanting to topple Umno from its perch.

Anonymous: The thing is people hate police as much as the criminals themselves. How about you discipline the police, make them genuinely more people-friendly - that would be a good start.

Also the perception of corruption in the force - that is something very important that you should try to change, and I'm not talking about hiring an Apco-like PR company either.

Pemerhati: The IGP knows very well how the crime can be reduced but he is unlikely to do anything about it.

Sometime ago, several police offers gave sworn statements detailing the close and friendly association of the very top police officers with criminals but to date no action has been taken against these crooked officers.

Ismail must be aware that the police get kickbacks from the criminals that earn their money from various illegal activities such as illicit gambling, loan sharking, prostitution and drugs. The loan sharks openly and brazenly threaten and harm their hapless victims but the police rarely lift a finger to protect the victims and arrest the ‘ah longs' because they have been bribed by them.

Under such circumstances, no amount of advice can bring about any meaningful change. Only a change of government and a drastic change in the police leadership can do that.

Tkc: IGP, I am sure you are aware that a lot of neighbourhoods in the Klang Valley have taken matters into their own hands by setting up ‘gated communities' and patrolling the streets at night (rukun tetangga) to reduce crime.

If you are sincere about change, just implement the IPCMC (Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission) recommendations and stop trying to pretend that you need our input.

Lim Chong Leong: If they do not hide behind trees and bushes at traffic lights waiting for those running red lights, if the patrol cars do not spend so much time harassing Indonesian-looking pedestrians hoping to collect some ‘kopi' money from illegal immigrants, if they do not waste their time investigating trivial reports against opposition leaders, or whacking suspects or shooting at teenagers at roadblocks, but just do more patrolling, that too would help.

Basically, if the top police officer does not know how to do his job, he should resign.

Thana55: IGP, here are some ideas for your consideration:

1) Stay out of politics.

2) Get more police officers on the beat. We want visibility on the ground.

3) Recruit and promote on merit.

4) Make the racial composition of the force reflective of our population (60 percent Malay: 40 percent non-Malay),

5) Agree to the setting-up of the IPCMC.

6) Learn from the Hong Kong and Singapore police forces on how they can better deliver.

Ksn: IGP, you asked and got more than you expected and bargained for. The ideas and suggestions above should give you a fair idea as to how the public generally feel about your force.

 

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