IN almost 10 years of writing for this ‘Paul Sir’ column in The Borneo Post, I think the police have become my second most regular subject of discourse here after politics. And why not, the police department is one of the most important public institutions – one which the public have to deal with on a regular basis. Hence, what the law enforcement agency does (or fails to do) has a bearing on our everyday lives.This fact has to be drummed into every police officer regularly and, even more so, into every new recruit. They must all realise that the nature of their work comes into direct contact with the public. Like it or not, they have to be imbued with a very public-oriented perception and if they do not possess a caring attitude, then they are not fit to wear the police uniform.
Tall order? Yes, it is! While the government has taken steps to increase the intake of the police force and offer our policemen better remuneration, the services we get from the agency are still left wanting. Common complaints are that they are slow to respond to emergencies, making police reports is still a tedious and cumbersome procedure and cops asking for bribes (particularly from motorists) is still an everyday affair.
Bukit Aman has consistently talked about upgrading its training modules for recruits. I’m not sure how far they have gone on this front but so far, improvement of services, if any, has been slow in coming. For the sake of the public, I hope Bukit Aman will succeed in building up a dedicated and disciplined force that will set an example for other law enforcement agencies in the country to emulate.
The police have again become my subject of discussion here because of the recent shooting of 15-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah in Shah Alam. The fact that the teenager was only 15 has thrust the case into the national spotlight with the debate still raging in every medium even as I write this.
Public outrage at the shooting of an innocent child who panicked when confronted by several armed policemen is understandable. Much has been said on both sides – in defence of the boy as well as in explaining the police action.
But there are two issues I wish to bring up here.
One, Aminulrasyid may have been the latest victim in a long line of police shoot-outs, but will he be the last? To put it more clearly, will Aminulrasyid be the last innocent but naughty boy who would be shot dead by the police as if he was a hardened criminal?
I don’t think so but I certainly hope so. There will be teenagers like Aminulrasyid but it’s unlikely, though not impossible, that boys that age will be out committing serious crimes. So it takes a very experienced policeman to handle such a tricky situation as the one created by Aminulrasyid. This is where the years of training and experience of a police officer comes into play – how to make the correct split second decision.
The public’s anger with the police’s seemingly indiscriminate use of firearms seems to be valid. Media reports show there were 39 deaths from police shootings in 2009. In 2008, there were 44 such deaths. On average, that’s more than three deaths a month. And that’s not taking into account unreported shootings and deaths in police custody.
We can agree that the police have a right to defend themselves and those whom they protect from suspected criminals when life is being threatened. But why is the death rate from police shootings so high in Malaysia? Consider this. In countries like the United Kingdom, with more than twice our population, there was only one fatal shooting by the police in 2006. In some years, there were none at all. This was a question posed by a news media and I concur that the poser is legitimate.
I have no intention to indulge in unfair, indiscriminate police bashing here but I have to seriously ask whether our policemen who have to use firearms in their line of duty are properly trained or experienced enough to discharge their lethal weapons.
Take for example, on the night the police officer fired at the car driven by Aminulrasyid – was it his intention to shoot to kill or just to stop the car? Could he have aimed at the tyres instead of at the driver? As it was dark, did he just fire indiscriminately in the direction of the car? If so, was he consciously aware as he discharged his firearms that he could also have accidentally shoot innocent passers-by? (If that happened, would the police then just brush it aside as another unlucky bloke who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time?) More importantly, was the vehicle driven by Aminulrasyid on the night in question posing a danger to the occupants of the pursuing police car? So far, the police did not say that Aminulrasyid had attempted to ram the car he was driving into the pursuing police party.
These are questions begging for answers and the sooner the authorities concerned come up with the full details of the case, the better it would be for all. Let’s hope the committee set up by the Home Ministry to probe the shooting will complete their task soon. The report has to be made public too. There should be nothing to hide.
The second issue which I want to raise here is the threat from Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan to take police off the streets if the public keep on condemning police action in the shooting of Aminulrasyid.
I think that Musa was way out of line when he issued that threat. Granted, he was not in a good mood and must have felt edgy when reporters posed questions to him. But Musa must always remain calm and collected as his position demands that from him.
Granted, Musa is only human with faults and weaknesses but as the nation’s top cop, we do expect him to talk sense at all times, particularly at times of crisis. He is the man whom we expect to be able to handle tremendous pressure at the worst of times.
We know what an angry man can and will do. An angry man loses his sense of judgement and focus. An angry man loses control of himself. An angry man cannot lead. Surely, we cannot afford an angry man, a man who cracked under pressure to continue leading the nation’s most important law enforcement agency of some 100,000 men and women. I hope Musa will learn from this episode and that for the remaining few months in office, he would not falter again under pressure.
The citizenry have been told to consider policemen as their best friends. But they could be our worst enemy if we do not have faith in what they do. IGP Musa has to take the lead in making us believe in the police force again.
(Comments can reach the writer at paulsir99@hot mail.com)