YOURSAY | Public trust in police down another notch

YOURSAY | ‘Few are brave enough to complain against police but not this hawker.’

Hawker alleges police extortion over Covid-19 SOP

JW: The troubling thing is that far too many ordinary Malaysians will believe the hawker because they have either experienced similar behaviour by the police or have heard too many friends and relatives telling them about similar experiences with the police.

Call it whatever - little Napoleons or corruption at work. This problem will fester because too many ordinary Malaysians also believe the outcome will just be whitewashed or the guilty party will just be transferred elsewhere.

In this particular case, it seems easy enough to believe the complainant. Imagine the bravery of this one young guy.

Malaysians have known long ago it is never easy to complain against the police. But this hawker went ahead anyway.

Whether he was aware or not of how much trouble he would get himself into, he obviously was at the end of his rope to care. His livelihood is on the line and he has no choice but to do something.

Until the police are willing to correct this problem in the force, nothing will change. Even if this problem is based on bad perception among far too many ordinary Malaysians, it is still a serious problem. After all, when there is smoke, there is almost always fire.

PinkPanther0703: My heart goes out to this young hawker, 21-year-old Lim Thiam Fook. Those who want to make an honest living being allegedly bullied in this way.

He already said he couldn't recognise the three police officers, but it doesn’t mean that justice cannot be done.

Sentul district police headquarters chief Beh Eng Lai has the means to find out if he wants to. Who was out on a patrol in a team of three in that area during those hours? There cannot be so many teams. The young hawker cannot recognise their faces but can recognise their voices.

The public trust of the police force can go down no further. It’s rock bottom now. Do the work you need to do to restore some public confidence, Sentul police. And don’t harass the poor hawker further. He had to summon enough courage to make the complaint.

Frank: The act of pouring the soup out (apparently to look for drugs) was unbelievably cruel.

Together with the other cruel acts, one could very well believe that amid the Covid-19 crisis, the supposed protectors of the people who are being paid with taxpayers’ funds are behaving like the heartless baddies thought to exist mainly in movies.

But then, it can be expected in today’s Malaysia as it has been the case for years. The unexpected is now the expected.

FlabberPro: There is a likelihood that the PDRM’s (Royal Malaysian Police) version of this story is that the hawker was rude and refused to cooperate with the police who are checking his SOP (standard operating procedure) compliance, etc, etc.

And then, the statement may end with “we will investigate this matter seriously and should we find any indiscipline among the force, we will take the necessary action. The PDRM does not tolerate extortion and we practise strict adherence to discipline to uphold the rule and law of the land”.

After that statement, there will be no further action, and we will not be hearing much of this case anymore.

Generally, the police officers that I met with on the road so far are helpful and kind. But I have heard of certain bad apples that took advantage of the situation and bullied the weaker ones, the ordinary rakyat. So you cannot blame the rakyat for accusing the government of double standards.

These claims of police extortion were heard of too many times to be ignored. I hope the authorities will do something to deal with these bad apples.

Determined Sarawakian: That’s the reason the IPCMC (Independent Police Complaints of Misconduct Commission) is greatly needed. The people, during these hard times, are being harassed unnecessarily.

Gaji Buta: The police should only be tasked to handle crime, nothing else. All other checking and monitoring of everything else should be by the respective ministries or departments – JPJ (Transport Department), Miti (Ministry of International Trade and Industry), Customs, Immigration, Health, etc.

There is too much power and authority given to the police in too many areas.

Patriot: If what is said is true, then the police officers involved are not only despicable but also a total disgrace to the police force.

The police are to protect the rakyat and not to bully and oppress them. Even if anyone breaches the law, police have to comply with their SOP in apprehending the offenders, not taking bribes and abusing their power.

Malaysia will be doomed if MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) and PDRM do not conduct a thorough investigation into this case.

BaiJeBo: What’s the use of transferring or even suspending these police officers who have disciplinary problems? They must be punished accordingly.

PM, home minister, IGP (inspector-general of police), what say you? By and large, police officers perform their duties well and do make sacrifices, especially during this pandemic. Do not let these rotten apples tarnish the reputation of the police.

Jaycee: Always remember that the rot starts from the head. We have an ex-PM and so many ministers on corruption charges but they are still walking around, giving speeches, and many of them are holding on to their high-paying positions.

So, when you have a corrupt environment at the top of the echelon, why wouldn’t the lower rank emulate the actions of their bosses?

Drngsc: Please conduct an investigation by an independent body (so that even the little Napoleons have a fair shake).

If they are found guilty, put them in jail. After two or three cases, even little Napoleons will be afraid.

Also, SOPs must be clear and unambiguous, not vague like what we have now.

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