Tuesday, November 17, 2009

No Plans to Restructure Police Force

One of the key recommendations of the 2004 Royal Commission of Inquiry on Police is the need to restructure the police for to be more aligned to its main objective of fighting, preventing and arresting crime. During the closing debate with the Home Minister, Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, I asked this question, why has there been no plans at all to restructure the force in the 2010 Budget. This is despite the so-called "Key Result Area" focus on reducing crime in the country.

The reason for the call to restructure is simple. The existing structure does not put sufficient resources to fight crime for less than 8% of the police force is dedicated to fighting crime.

There's absolutely no plans to increase or restructure the police force as the number of police officers allocated in the budget for 2009 and 2010 are exactly the same:

Source: Anggaran Perbelanjaan Persekutuan 2010 (pg 649)

From the above chart, what stands out is the fact that only 7.65% of the police force is specifically dedicated fighting crime, while 33.1% of the force is dedicated to "internal security", that is the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU), the Light Strike Force, and a "Pasukan Gerakan Am", which was originally intended to fight the Communists in the jungle! It is almost as if the country is in a state of emergency to the extent that more than 40,000 police officers are tasked to "internal security".

What's more, the obvious disjoint is the fact that the Special Branch of the police force is almost the same size as the team dedicated to fighting crime with 9,130 officers! For those who are not aware, these are the officers who attends all the opposition ceramahs and functions to record all that is said (you won't see them doing the same at BN functions).

I raised the following in parliament last week:
Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: [Ketawa]... Soalan, ada antara satu cadangan yang telah dibuat oleh Suruhanjaya Polis Diraja beberapa tahun yang lalu, yang masih saya agak belum dilaksanakan oleh pihak polis.

Iaitu penstrukturan semula kerja-kerja pihak polis dalam bahagian-bahagian yang
tertentu. Sebab bagi bajet yang telah pun dibentangkan kali ini, saya nampak bahawa tidak ada langsung pelan untuk mengagihkan tasks and duties of the different departments. So, bagi penyiasatan jenayah, masih lagi 9300 orang lebih dan bagi pasukan keselamatan dalam negeri dan ketenteraman awam iaitu FRU, pasukan gerakan am, masih ada lebih kurang 40 lebih orang.

So adakah polis akan mengambil tindakan untuk menstrukturkan semula supaya lebih ramai lagi boleh diagihkan kepada bahagian penyiasatan jenayah supaya mereka menjadi lebih efisien.

Antara satu step yang saya sokong KDN telah buat kini adalah untuk membuat pilot project . Kawasan hotspot, lebih ramai polis, lebih roadblocks. Akan tetapi, kompelin yang saya dapat daripada penduduk saya yang tidak ada dalam hotspot itu, dia kata balai polis yang tidak ada hotspot, anggota polisnya dihantar ke hotspot. Apa yang terjadi adalah jenayah di kawasan yang kurang polis meningkat pula. Sebab di hotspot ramai polis, jenayah tidak ada di sana dan selepas itu pergi ke tempat lain.

So, saya agak yang penting adalah untuk meningkatkan lagi jumlah polis yang berada dalam bahagian penyiasatan. Terima kasih.
The Minister's reply unfortunately, whether intentional or otherwise, did not touch on the restructuring of the police force at all.
Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein: Pertamanya, tidak benar bahawa kita menggunakan polis biasa untuk mengalih jumlah petugas di kawasan-kawasan yang bukan hotspot ke kawasan-kawasan hotspot. Seperti yang saya sebut tadi, kita telah pun menggerakkan pihak Gerakan Am yang tiada kena mengena dengan kawasan-kawasan yang disebutkan oleh Yang Berhormat tadi.

Tuan Pua Kiam Wee [Petaling Jaya Utara]: Saya dimaklumkan oleh pihak polis.

Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein: [...] Sekiranya kawasan-kawasan 50 yang telah pun dikenal pasti tidak mencukupi dan merangkumi dan ada kawasan-kawasan yang memerlukan tumpuan kita. Maka kita tidak ada sebab tidak boleh dipastikan bahawa kawasan-kawasan lain juga akan dimasukkan di dalam kawasan-kawasan panas yang telah pun dikenal pasti tadi.

Keduanya yang saya hendak nyatakan di sini, bahawa tugas dan juga peranan dan kesan yang kita hendak kurangkan kadar jenayah tidak berkisar kepada tindakan PDRM sahaja dan hanya melihat kepada badan mereka yang terlibat sebagai omnipresent present polis.

Apa-apa yang kita lihat sekarang menggunakan teknologi seperti CCTV tadi, menggunakan balai-balai bergerak supaya tidak perlu kita menunggu lama untuk membina balaibalai baru atau menaik taraf balai yang sedia ada ...Menggunakan kaedah-kaedah lain yang menggerakkan pihak masyarakat setempat, NGO dan badan-badan sukarelawan seperti RELA dan JPAM contohnya, jumlah saya sebutkan tadi. Tidak menyentuh kepada kemampuan pihak PDRM hari ini [...]
I'll continue to raise this question in parliament whenever possible, possibly in the committee stage debate on the Budget for the Home Ministry next week. I believe that by restructuring the police force, we can very quickly increase the presence of police on the streets in more places, and will help deter crime in the high risk areas. It's bad enough that the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), but even a less controversial recommendation on restructuring the police force such that at least 30% of the force is directly involved in fighting crime has been neglected.

15 comments:

Lynn said...

Good work, Tony. Yes, Home Minister, transfer half of the 33% from Internal Security to criminal investigations and we'll have another 20,000 police policing the streets which is their basic job function. Perhaps they should also second halfof the 46,ooo management staff to walk the streets with the constables as well.

PRN said...

Well done, Tony. They should apply more 20 / 80 Pareto Principle. Allocated limited resources and focus on core issues.

lionel0008 said...

"From the above chart, what stands out is the fact that only 7.65% of the police force is specifically dedicated fighting crime, while 33.1% of the force is dedicated to "internal security"..."

That is a pretty discerning figure.

I thought the police's main priority is t fight crime

Khun Pana aka johanssm said...

The govt provided a lousy chart.
Should reflects air wing ,marine, traffic , sentry , AUX polis , PSV and escort duties.
Lousy chart reflects a lousy govt.
A lousy govt breeds lousy police force.

In Singapore their PSV stands at 1:1 ratio. Only 50% are regular cops, the rest are volunteers.
But Singapore is not a country-nazri

WY said...

Dear Tony,

These data just confirm our worse fear, and what we all know all along. Our police force is badly managed and we are spending our money obviously at the wrong priorities. whooping 37% for management and 33% for internal security? I wonder whether more statistics like prosecution rate, crime rate, cost/personnel/duties. By the way - Logistics must be Traffic , otherwise, where are the polis traffik that make all those duit kopi?

I suggest that you have one of your researchers to browse through the documents/operation of New Zealand police:

http://www.police.govt.nz/resources/index.html

where everything, i mean EVERYTHING is public information.

Lastly Tony, are we even reading the chart wrong? Internal Security could also mean all the constables on the streets while Criminal Investigations refers to CID (non uniformed officers). Again, it just reflects the poor data we are getting for our tax monies.

Transparency please. And put it proper language.

Anonymous said...

I suspect there is something "not correct" on the numbers - so many staff in Management-> do WHAT?. Anyway, there are more policemen (Special Branch & FRU) assigned to "take care" of the Opposition than to fight crime.

Can I ask for a REFUND of my taxes since I need to pay for PRIVATE security?

Golf Afflicted said...

tomatoinc,

I can assure you 100% that "internal security" is not your constables, and 100% to with all the various "teams" of special forces, mostly FRUs and LSFs and Gerakan Am. Others include special bodyguards for royalties, VVIPs etc.

;-) Tony

d'Frog Prince said...

now we know why the police are so ineffective. there are more managers than police! either the police are very weak in managing themselves or the disciplines of the force is not what it is used to.

to think that when we were younger, police force held us in awe and utmost respect. no wonder i don't see any police walking/driving a beat nowadays, the sight of police itself would have reduced crime rate by leaps and bounds.

Anonymous said...

7.65 + 7.44 + 3.59 = 18.68%

18.68% Fit officers [Can Run]
81.32% Fat officers [Cannot Run]

Thats why they are structured the way they are. Give all officers free Celebrity Fitness membership. ;)

Unknown said...

Dear Sir,
It is difficult for our Home Ministry to make decision to restructure the current police forces. It is because police forces are smartly and conveniently used as powerful political instrumental to wreck opposition for BN government.
We can see the presences of police forces in Perak August House at last assembly meeting helping BN as security reason and making a scene there as threatening object. Another unexpected raiding of DAP PJ branch and took away those computers and documents belong to DAP administrating office.
These unlawful events actually taking place have never been seen happened in other democratic countries. Because police should stand above politic, it has its important duty to carry out as maintaining social safety and order. Hence they have their strong political stand unmovable and do not simply work for government without constitutional fundamental order.
Suffice to say that the extension of working contract awarded to Musa Hassan after two expired overdue extensions, is already to be made known to public that the Home Ministry has no intention of restructure itself for the goodness sake for the country. Police forces have been very useful to government. It can be used as government sword to stab opposition at the back conveniently.

PJU Voter said...

Hi TONY,

I sincerely think everybody is making too much of an issue out of this episode.

My reasons are as followed:

1) When the CRIME RATE went up, everybody make noise that the PDRM is NOT doing enough. However, when the PDRM put words into action by GUNNING DOWN 5 well deserved DEAD criminals, everybody are saying that the PDRM is cruel. It ain't a easy thing to be a Police in Malaysia, don't you think so???

2) Some commented that the Police should have SHOT the hands/legs of the 5 well deserved DEAD criminals instead of killing them. "What the FUCK???". If the Police are that precise in their target shooting, they wouldn't be a Policeman in the 1st place. They perhaps would have by now excelled as a HITMAN or a World Olympic CHAMPION in rifle/pistol shooting. Makes sense???

3) Talking is easy but doing it is difficult. Try giving a gun to those who condemned the shooting & I dare bet my last penny that these FOOLS will end-up shooting themselves. These FOOLS are a NAIVE lot who think target shooting is as easy as A,B,C.

4) The woman who DIED due to weed-killer poisoning should be the one to blame!!! What a DUMB BITCH she is. It's 100% FAIR if she insist to take her own useless life away but for her to get her children involved by drinking weed-killer too is TOTALLY ABSURD!!! What's the point of roping in INNOCENT CHILDREN's LIFE over a stupid case of 5 criminals getting killed. These 5 criminals SHOULDN'T have existed on earth in the 1st place!!!

5) KELINGS are known to be a dramatic lot. For the smallest of problem, they like to make it as if it's DOOMS DAY. I see no TEARS should be shed over the death of those 5 stupid ciminals & I don't agree sheding even a tear over that SUICIDAL Sundal Keling. I think KELINGS drinks too much TODI/SAMSU till they can't even differentiate alchohol & paraquat.

6) Allow this episode to by-pass & let's rejoice over the death of SEETHA a.k.a The Stupid DEAD Bitch. Now, we can be sure we have 5 less criminals in Malaysia + we have 1 less idiotic bitch who likes to rope her children into her uncalled for shallow mentality. These Hell Bound idiots deserve to DIE since a long time ago.

Upon reading & analyzing the above, I believe most will AGREE to what I've stated. It's a SAD thing for someone to DIE but if those deceased is worth DYING, then, we should REJOICE instead of being SAD, FRUSTRATED or even ANGRY.


Yours sincerely,
PJU Voter

Nee Sern said...

I am a crime victim myself and I support the Gated community movement. Exclusivity is the last thing on my mind. It's more of safety and security and peace of mind!!!

Unknown said...

This time I don't talk about IGP getting KPI 113+% of credibility mark. And also no police force restructure is involved in my comment.
I agree with commentator PJU Voter's comment.
Why there are more Indian ethnics involved in criminal outlawing is difficult to express in a few lines of wordings here. It is social problem which is needed social reformers and government institutes to do the job to increase more working chances and less social tension. If life is easier to go on with, criminal will be fading away slowly.
But the heavy load of police work is immensely greater to over size to control efficiently.(It must something is wrong in our society structure fundamentally.)Those gunned down criminals were weaponry equipped themselves. Police officers have the right to apply spot and kill tactic to eliminate them by protecting their own lives. Other wise the police and people in the street won't be safe any more in the place where they go doing their shopping and conducting their workings.
I was once a victim myself few years ago. Those criminals were relentless and as well merciless. Because they themselves were scare out of wit, they would hurt you first before they got caught by police. I was badly hit at my private part in willy by one of those robbers ankle. My son got into nightmare every night until years have gone by.
I do sorry for the dead persons gunned by police, but I do hope police will adopt better method to control the situation when they face. After all, these are the duty of police to provide protection for the people. Hence to say it is the full meaning of police force is designated by the law.
Outlawing won't pay.

Anonymous said...

Whilst I do empathise with the families of snatch thieves, I feel highly disturbed that they were not taught basic principles of civics by their parents and teachers. This is of paramount importance in anyone's life. I am totally insecure about leaving my home alone by myself. I am always accompanied and this does not augur well for a country like Malaysia...which is planning to be a high income economy. We definitely need to go back to basics and rid ourselves of bad attitudes and everything evil...Life was a lot simpler and cleaner 30 years ago

Anonymous said...

PJU Voter complaint in TONY PUA blog when the PDRM put words into action by
GUNNING DOWN 5 well deserved DEAD criminals, everybody are saying that the PDRM
is cruel. If the Police are that precise in their target shooting, they wouldn't
be a Policeman in the 1st place. They perhaps would have by now excelled as a
HITMAN or a World Olympic CHAMPION in rifle/pistol shooting. Makes
sense???

My opinion : Not make sense .
if police shoot dead 5 criminals
,
you will found this news on first page on newspaper . But what kind of
criminals shot dead when you can't find this new even on last page of newspaper
?????????????