‘Policemen should be able to communicate in English’

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GEORGE TOWN: Strengthen your communication skills, especially in the English language, to deliver the right information to the community.

In making this call to policemen, Penang police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob said only 25 per cent of the 5,000-strong policemen in the state could speak English fluently.

This was despite a pressing need to speak the language, in lieu of the many foreigners and various races in the state, he said.

“About 60 per cent have average English language skills while the rest just know basic English,” Ayub told reporters after launching the Special Training English Communication for Tourist Police here yesterday.

He said communication failure among policemen would inadvertently lead to misunderstanding among the public.

“The community expects us (police) to solve their problems. We should have the capability to do that, and it comes from good communication skills,” he reasoned. — Bernama