KUCHING: It is the responsibility of the police to serve all regardless of the situation, including how one dresses to lodge a police report, said Bandar Kuching Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Kelvin Yii.
In response to the recent statement by Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani that insisted the public follow the government dress code at police situations, except in life-or-death emergencies, Dr Yii described the remarks as flawed and irresponsible.
“It is the responsibility of the police force to serve the community and not to ‘moral police’ the community, especially when it comes to ensuring the safety and security of the people.
It must be the first assumption that all cases are emergencies, whether life or death, when people walk into the station and should not be barred from entering as no one would go to the police station to lodge police reports unless they had to, as they needed police assistance,” he said in a statement today (Feb 5).
He went on to say that it is not only in cases of life and death; it should not matter at all how a person is dressed in any situation.
“The police should not impose ‘perceived morality,’ which may deny or hinder proper protection or even justice.
“What message does it send to the people whom they are meant to protect?” he said.
Dr Yii then reminded the IGP of the fourth pillar of Rukun Negara, ‘Kedaulatan Undang-Undang.’
“When fact of the matter, it is the law of the country that it is not illegal to dress in certain ways as long as it does not expose and breach public indecency.
“The lady had to lodge a report because the law compels her to do so. This duty is required regardless of how she dresses. Thus the police have to carry out their duty too.
“It is the responsibility of the police to uphold that very law of our country and not impose any other regulations at the police station that may hinder justice,” pointed out the Bandar Kuching MP.
With that, Dr Yii called upon the IGP to retract his statement and for the ministry concerned to show leadership and give the needed assurance to the people that they will be served and protected regardless of any circumstances or how they dress.
“The police should really uphold their motto, ‘Polis dan Masyarakat Berpisah Tiada’ and not ‘Polis dan Masyarakat Berpisah Tiada, Bergantung Kepada Cara Pemakaian’,” he stressed.
Earlier, a woman reportedly claimed that she had been denied entry into a police station to lodge a report at the Kajang district police headquarters.
Kajang district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zaid Hassan said the woman was wearing a pair of shorts above knee length, and a sentry personnel on duty had advised her to change to a more appropriate attire if she wanted to deal with the police in line with the etiquette of dealing with personnel in government premises.
