Police afflicted by “close-one-eye” syndrome

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan made a shocking confession when he spoke on  “Crime and Changing Social Values in the Malaysian Society” during a seminar at the Dewan  Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday – that the Police is afflicted by the  “close-one-eye” syndrome.

Musa lamented that in the war against crime, the police are at times frustrated by some  politicians who want the police to “keep one eye open and one eye closed”. (Sin Chew)

This is most shocking. Musa should not be lamenting about the “close-one-eye” syndrome in the police frustrating the campaign against crime. He should have declared as the Inspector -General of Police that he would no more tolerate such “close-one-eye” syndrome, whether caused by interfering politicians, corruption or rogue policemen.

Musa should have gone one step further – publicly name the police officials and the “interfering politicians” who had acted against the public interest in their “close-one-eye” conspiracy to frustrate the forces of law and order.

Both parties in the “close-one-eye” syndrome, whether the police or the interfering  politicians, are breaking the law and committing serious offences in frustrating the police war against crime.

Musa’s lament proved that the Royal Police Commission entrusted with the task of making  proposals to create an efficient, incorruptible, professional and world-class police service  had been both a waste of time and public resources as well as a great letdown of public  expectations – that some 21 months after the Royal Commission Report, public confidence have  reached a new crisis point.

This is not only caused by the IGP’s shocking admission of the “close-one-eye” syndrome in the police war against crime, but also by escalation in the crime index, which had been vividly highlighted by the killing of the former top crime buster, former Penang Chief Police Officer, Datuk Albert Mah; the burglary of the house of former CID director Datuk Fauzi Shaari in Shah Alam and the hijacking in Johor Bahru of the RM3.5 million container truck transporting 10,000 cellphones from a factory in Pasir Gudang.

The increasing public perception is that the police have lost control of its most important function and duty to keep crime low and protect the personal safety and property of Malaysians, investors and visitors especially in the Visit Malaysia Year 2007.

With public confidence in the police at a new crisis low, there can be no more delay in the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) as an effective external oversight mechanism to ensure that the Police stay loyal to their mandate and public expectations that it transforms itself into an efficient, incorruptible, professional and world-class police service which excels in the three core police areas of keeping crime low, fight police corruption and respect human rights.

An immediate announcement by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the IPCMC is the only effective way left to restore public confidence in the police – but it must be an IPCMC which has not been watered down in terms of functions and powers as proposed by the Royal Police Commission as to be a meaningless body like Suhakam.