KUALA LUMPUR – The people’s aversion to seeking police assistance indicates their lack of confidence in the authorities, said Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain.
During a town hall meeting with Klang residents, Shuhaily said that while guarded communities have helped the police in securing communities, this reliance on private bodies is due to the lack of trust in the police.
“Every guarded community is (seen to be) a portion of society shying away from police presence. That shows the police’s failure to ensure the people’s security,” he said.
“This also shows people do not have the confidence that we will be there on time, which is why people are willing to pay for (security services), and it is now becoming an industry at our expense.”
Shuhaily said he hoped that the police would be more present for the people and this would not require them to fork out additional costs for privatised security firms.
Touching on complaints about police officers seeking assistance from the public to aid investigations at odd hours, Shuhaily said that they are often overwhelmed by cases and may not be able to accommodate reports immediately.
He was responding to a resident’s complaint that people are often sceptical when lodging police reports, claiming that it made little or no difference, as officers were perceived to have a lackadaisical attitude.
At the same time, he called on the officers to respect the time of the complainants, as some would experience a loss of income to hold meetings with police.
Meanwhile, Shuhaily said that while the top cops do not compromise in cases where officers were found to have abused their power, the termination processes involved needed to be in line with the terms set out by the Public Services Commission.
He pointed out that in some cases, officers will return to the police force after the court finds them not guilty of their charges.
“I hope you understand that it is not the force’s fault, but that is how the system works,” he said.
Also present were Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, Klang MP V. Ganabatirau, Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali, as well as Pelabuhan Klang and Selat Klang assemblymen Azmizam Zamanhuri and Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari. – January 29, 2024