Reveal status of 2,097 arrested cops, Kepong MP tells AG, IGP

Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng has called on Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail and Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar to disclose how many of the 2,097 police officers and personnel arrested from 2021 to August this year have been charged, convicted or dismissed from the force.

In a written parliamentary reply to Lim on Tuesday, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail revealed that 1,551 of the police officers and personnel arrested from 2021 to August this year were nabbed for drug-related offences. Sixty-four were arrested in relation to robberies, and 482 were arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

In a statement today, Lim said the 2,097 arrests amounted to an average of more than one police officer or personnel member being arrested daily over the five years and eight months, describing the figure as a “severe blow” to the integrity of the police force.

“The police are supposed to arrest criminals, not become criminals themselves. How can the public continue to trust the police if they are involved in crime?” said Lim, a lawyer by training.

“And these are just three categories of offences… They do not include the various other crimes not specified in the minister’s reply. What is the actual number of police officers and personnel arrested for all offences?”

Lim also questioned the delay in investigating a case involving 12 police officers suspected of robbing a group of Chinese nationals of cryptocurrency worth about RM200,000 in Country Heights, Kajang, on Feb 5.

The 12 police personnel, including four officers from the Bukit Aman commercial crime investigation department, were detained for suspected involvement in a gang robbery.

Khalid previously said the policemen had been assigned to desk duties to ensure that the investigation could proceed properly.

In his written parliamentary reply to Lim, Saifuddin said the case remained under investigation, more than eight months after the incident.

Lim contrasted this with the case of Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency chief Shuhaily Zain, who was charged in court 23 days after an incident at KLIA.

“The inspector-general of police and the attorney-general should explain the difference in the investigation timelines,” he added.

Shuhaily was charged in the Sepang magistrates’ court on Oct 21 with assaulting two policemen last month.

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