HOME MINISTER SAIFUDDIN SENDS A MESSAGE TO MALAYSIA’S POLICE, INFAMOUS FOR CORRUPTION – BUT HARDENED & SEASONED AT PROTECTING THEIR OWN, WILL PDRM DEPARTMENT HEADS HEED HIM? – ‘I THINK THE CORRECT ATTITUDE HERE IS TO DO AWAY WITH THE DENIAL SYNDROME AND ACCEPT THE AGENCY’S (MACC) REPORT CONCERNING POLICE MISCONDUCT’

Cops will respond to misconduct reports, assures Saifuddin

KUALA LUMPUR: Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said police would respond to reports of misconduct involving the men in blue, after the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) stated that department heads had been ignoring such complaints.

The ministry will also review the reports and work on ways to improve the integrity of the force, he said.

“I think the correct attitude here is to do away with the denial syndrome and accept the agency’s report concerning police misconduct,” he said.

Saifuddin was speaking to reporters at the police’s training centre here.

He was asked to comment on a New Straits Times report quoting MACC chief Azam Baki as saying that some government agencies were covering up reports of misconduct involving their personnel despite the anti-graft agency’s advise to resolve the problems.

Azam said that they were still waiting for government agencies to follow up on at least 500 of such reports, some of which were submitted 12 years ago.

Of the total number of reports, 125 involved the police.

Saifuddin said police would take the necessary steps to ensure that such complaints would not be ignored.

He also said that the number of misconduct reports involving policemen paled in comparison to the over 120,000 personnel in the force who were “dedicated to their jobs”.

However, he noted that the police must show an urgency to improve themselves as the public must be confident of their integrity.

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