Sarawak police outperform KPI

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Charging rate hits 36 per cent, with 31 of 45 murder cases solved, says state police chief

KUCHING: State police achieved a 36 per cent charging rate in solving murder cases last year by charging suspects linked to 16 of the 45 cases reported, revealed state police chief Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.

Overall, he said 31 cases were solved with the positive identification of the suspects either through thumbprints or eye witnesses.

However, only suspects from 16 out of these 31 cases were charged in court.

No one was charged for the remaining 15 solved cases because the suspects, though identified, could not be traced.

Fourteen cases were not solved because police could not identify the suspects due to lack of witnesses, witnesses unsure of what they saw, and no traceable evidence at crime scenes linked to the suspects.

When asked to comment on the success rate, Acryl told The Borneo Post team that state police’s key performance index (KPI) for last year to solve murder cases was set at 25 per cent.

In a recent interview he said from that context, he said he was quite happy with the success but added that there are always rooms for improvement.

“We have to continuously remind our personnel that we must be seen to do our work. You see, the most important thing for us is to be seen by the public.

“We are expected to be seen on the road and patrolling the streets. People want to see us in uniform, doing our rounds.

“And we need to do all these things 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They do not expect us to go to their backyard to snoop around. The mere police presence makes people feel comfortable and I would say that criminals or perpetrators would think twice before they commit any wrong doings when we are around.”

For the first five months of this year, he said state police have charged suspects involved in 11 out of the 27 reported cases. And another five were also considered solved.

“Personal grudges and under the influence of alcohol have been identified as the main reasons for the suspects to commit the heinous crimes.”

This year’s KPI for the state police to solve murder cases has been raised to 35 per cent.