KUCHING: Sarawak Community Policing Association (SCPA) supports efforts to raise the standard of living of lower-ranked police personnel.
SCPA chairman Datuk John Lau told New Sarawak Tribune yesterday when contacted to comment on Inspector General of Police (IGP) Datuk Seri Abdul Hamid Bador’s announcement on their salaries.
“I applaud IGP Hamid’s announcement that the lower-ranked police personnel’s salaries, logistics and requirements will be given priority,” he said.
He added that SCPA understands that a new police constable (PC) is paid less than RM1,500 per month and if the PC is from Sarawak and he is serving in Kuala Lumpur, he/she needs to look for accommodation and transportation.
“Housing in KL is not cheap. Renting a room may cost about RM500 per month, leaving RM1,000 for food, transportation and entertainment. There is very little savings for him or her to start a family,” he said.
John, who is also Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA) chairman, said police housing for the lower-ranked staff needs urgent attention as some of the apartments are already dilapidated.
“SCPA supports the efforts to raise the standard of living of our police personnel, particularly the lower-ranked ones. They are putting their lives on the line every day for a pittance.
“If we want our neighbourhoods to be safe and secure then we should make sure our law enforcers are adequately compensated, and qualified individuals will pick law enforcement as a career option,” he said.
Apart from that, John recommended that police adopt a competency framework that allows each officer to know what to do to move up and earn more; for instance, competency training with high pay will lead to a motivated police force and it attracts talent.
“Chapter Nine of the Royal Commission of Enquiry to enhance the Royal Malaysia Police operation and management report in 2005 and stated on page 285, that corruption in the police force is under control and it is not an alarming problem.
“It further mentioned that the police felt that it was only the perception of the public that corruption was rife as the public expected high ethical standards from the police who are supposed to be the guardians of the law,” he elaborated.
Although corruption is under control, SCPA believes that there is still room for improvement.
He further informed that SCPA proposed that for every summons issued to law breakers, the police who issued the summons will be compensated with a certain amount of commission from the fines paid by the wrong doers.
Similar compensation has been practised in advanced countries and if this is practised in Malaysia, SCPA is confident that there would be fewer crimes as the police would be motivated to look for wrong doers.
John then urged every Malaysian to partner with the police in crime prevention.
“Let us serve as eyes and ears of the police by providing information about suspicious persons and other relevant matters,” he said.
He concluded that under the new IGP, the SCPA is confident that Malaysia will be a better place to live and more tourists will come in the future.
