Times have changed, crimes getting more complex - IGP

The advancement of new technology has made it difficult for the police to combat crimes in the country, said inspector-general of police Mohamad Fuzi Harun.

He said with rapid development of technology and widespread use of social media, it was vital for the the security force to keep up with the times and strengthen their expertise in various aspects.

"Nowadays criminals have new means of engaging in fraudulent activities and the crimes are getting more complex as they are no longer domestic-based but have gone beyond borders.

"For example, previously when gambling, only playing cards were used but now betting is done online. And the same goes in recruiting terrorists, there are no physical dealings and love scams which were never thought of before, have resulted in billion ringgit losses," he said in a special interview in conjunction with the 212th Police Day celebration.

Hence, he said the police have formed partnership and increased collaboration with the security forces of other countries to stem criminal activities.

In line with this year’s Police Memorial Day theme, ‘Polis dan Masyarakat Berpisah Tiada’ (There is no separation between police and society), Fuzi said the police made it a point to hold meetings with the community to share information and for action to be taken.

"To encourage community involvement in crime prevention we have organised the 1Mosque 1Police (1M1P) programme...non-Muslim police personnel too have been instructed to hold similar programmes with churches and temples all over the country to enable the public to be the eyes and ears of PDRM.

"In carrying out our duties to deal with various security issues we still need the support and assistance of the people at all levels to ensure our country is safe, stable and secure," he said.

Meanwhile, Fuzi said though the crime rate in the country had been decreasing each year, generally people still do not feel safe.

"With the approval of the the Home Ministry I have directed PDRM R&D (research and development) division to undertake a specific research on this matter (perception of feeling safe) to be conducted by an independent party" he said, adding that last year the crime rate dropped by 11.9 percent.

Meanwhile, Fuzi said members of the police force should have high standards of integrity and must be free from corruption.

He said from time to time the police personnel were reminded to stay clear of corruption as stern action would be taken if they were found guilty.

"I was very disappointed to learn some of our members were detained by the MACC recently for engaging in illicit activities.

"I want my men to remain clean...I do not want a culture of corruption among our members because this will affect the performance of the organisation,” he said.

- Bernama