NIBONG TEBAL – Penang police have clarified that their top priority is to receive a report from any complainant and not whether their attire is appropriate while lodging the report.
State police chief Datuk Khaw Kok Chin said this while commenting on the media report of a man claiming that a police officer told him to change into long pants first before he could lodge a report on a theft where his car was broken into by criminals on Thursday night.
Khaw said the department was investigating the incident and would take appropriate action against the officer involved.
“Penang police always practise the concept of serving the community and those who come to the police station seeking help.
“So the priority is to receive a police report and take immediate action to help a victim. It is not about appropriate or inappropriate attire when lodging a police report,” he said today.
Commenting further on the episode, Khaw said based on a review, the “order” to change the trousers for the man who wanted to make a police report was made by a member of the Police Volunteer Reserves (PVR) who was on duty at the police station’s guard post at the time.
“The PVR (officer) then referred to his supervisor, a member of the Royal Malaysian Police who was on duty at the time. We are conducting further investigations and will take appropriate action,” he said.
Several news portals reported that the 34-year-old complainant was dining at a hawker centre in Bukit Tambun here with his family before finding his car window smashed.
In the incident, the victim lost RM800 in cash and the passport of his wife who is a Chinese citizen, before hurrying to the Simpang Ampat police station here to make a police report.
However, the police officer on duty told the man clad in shorts to change into trousers first, but the complainant protested he was in shorts to eat out when the emergency occurred and hence rushed to the police station to file a report.
The man then returned to the scene of the crime with his family after being barred from entering the Simpang Ampat police station to check the nearby bushes in the hope the thief may have left his wife’s passport behind, before police arrived at the scene.
After relating the incident to police, the officer urged the man to head to the Bukit Tambun police station to lodge a report while he was still in shorts without any further hassle. – December 9, 2023