Working for change
New Straits Times (Columns)
15 Sep 2006

THE Inspector-General of Police seems to believe that if the men and women under his charge were to change their attitude in such a manner that the public would no longer have any grounds to complain about their performance or behaviour, this will render the proposed Independent Police Commission on Misconduct and Complaints redundant.

The logic behind this line of reasoning may be impeccable, and the faith and trust in the members of the police force and the show of solidarity with his subordinates, is admirable. However, with all due respect to the street-wise crime-buster, this seems a tall order and an improbable result.

After all, cops are only too human, and share the flaws, failings and frailties of other mere mortals. As with all social groups, there will be the inevitable black sheep in the police force.

Given the workings of human nature, the Royal Malaysian Police is bound to have its assortment of ne’er-do-wells who sleep on the job, blunderers who botch up investigations, and other backsliders.

Moreover, whether they like it or not, whether it is justified or not, like the rest of the professions in the public eye, everything that the cops do invites attention and criticism.

Given the law of averages, it should expect its fair share of charges of incompetence, allegations of abuse, and accusations of impropriety.

While the complaints against the police are inescapable, it is, of course, not inevitable that inquiries into the grievances by the public should be conducted by an independent authority.

But the very idea of an external watchdog is an indication of the extent to which the police seem to have more than the usual complement of bent, high-handed and unprofessional cops, and the inadequacies in the manner in which the police handle complaints.

This is why there is indeed a need for the change in the work culture and mindset that the new top cop asks from the men and women in blue. Not because it could stave off the perceived indignity of external scrutiny, but because it could arrest the erosion in the rule of law and the loss of public confidence in the credibility and ability of the police.

Something has gone wrong when strong-arm tactics are used against suspects and the victims of crimes are treated in a less than friendly fashion.

To rise to the challenge of declining public trust and rising crime, it is imperative that the police put their own house in order.