After having to go through the trouble of getting a police report for losing an old passport, I have to say from my experience that not all members of the police force are as brutal and incompetent as they are made out to be.

Expecting to be 'turned over' when I was interviewed by the Special Branch at Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, I actually found them to be very polite, friendly and understanding.

The only negative perception I had was that the police station was in dire need of refurbishment. In their shoes, I would find it hard to be quick and efficient if I didn't have the level of computerisation and networking equipment that I often see in developed countries, or even nice modern stations and offices.

This gives me hope that there is not much inherently wrong with the police force itself, but in those that give orders that result in negatively perceived actions of the force.