Media statement by DAP MP for Bukit Bendera Liew Chin Tong on 20th July 2012

Police’s reprioritisation is the key to resolve crime

As of January 2011, for every uniformed police handling crime there are six in non-crime sectors. Criminal investigation department has only 8% or 9,346 of the total 105,929 uniformed police.

Overall, 14% of the uniformed police force are in the crime-related departments (criminal investigation department, narcotics and commercial crime investigation) while 86% are in the non-crime related sectors (management, internal security and public order, logistics, special branch, and special task force).

These figures were revealed to me in a written parliamentary reply during the session between March 11th and April 7th 2011 by the Home Ministry. The Home Ministry refused to answer a similar question for the parliamentary session this year.

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The total number of uniformed police personnel increased from 82,135 in 2001 to 105,929 a decade later. (Civilian staff in the police force is not included in the statistics).

In 2005, the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission of Inquiry Report made recommendations on transforming the Malaysian Police into an efficient, incorruptible, professional world-class police service focused on three core functions to keep crime low, to eradicate corruption and to uphold human rights

Throughout the years, there have not been changes in the distribution of personnel among departments to reflect the public demand for lower crime.

For instance, in 2011, 41% of uniformed police are in management, 31% internal security and public order, 9% in logistics, 5% in special branch whereas criminal investigation department has only 9% of the uniformed personnel.

Chart: Distribution of uniformed police personnel in 2011

Chart: Distribution of uniformed police personnel in crime and non-crime sectors between 2007 and 2011.

The Police was given an allocation of RM 4.5 billion in 2010, RM 5.8 billion in 2011 and RM 6.3 billion in 2012 respectively. There is an increase of RM 1.8 billion or 40% between 2010 and 2012.

Consistently in the past three years, criminal investigation receives only 8% of the total allocation.

There is no point to talk about other statistics unless the Barisan Nasional government deals with its own obsession with regime security and not the safety of ordinary Malaysians.

Liew Chin Tong