The police must be seen to be fair

There is a general perception that the police in Malaysia is not only unprofessional but is also racially biased.

Recent incidents involving police action in enforcing the law when faced with so-called illegal public demonstrations seem to suggest that such a perception is not completely unjustified.

While I am sure, a majority in the police force want nothing but to be seen as law enforcers and they are good. But they have to accept the reality of this negative perception.

The police must not only be fair but they must be seen to be fair.They must ensure they have a better relationship with the public to reduce mistrust and mutual suspicions.They have to ensure all guidelines and procedures are followed when enforcing the law.

And they must enforce the law fairly. They must treat everyone fairly.As such the onus is on the police to repair the mistrust and suspicions which the public have of them.

If it is just a case of a few complaints here and there against the police then we can easily dismiss them.But there is a clear public perception which is negative. Surveys have shown that a majority of the public feel the police are unprofessional and that they are corrupt.

Now there is even a perception that they are racially biased.

This must be addressed. The public must have confidence in the police in order for the force to tackle major issues like preventing crime.

Some senior officers have shown before that they can engage in proper dialogue with the public.They have successfully implemented Community Oriented Policing (Rakan COP) in some areas.In my home state Johor, the police have actively engaged the public in fighting crime.

But all of these efforts will come to nought if the public has no confidence in the police and consider it unprofessional. Perhaps MCA ministers should bring up this issue in Cabinet. The Cabinet can then deliberate on measures to restore confidence in the police.

国民普遍认为，马来西亚的警察执行任务一点也不专业，而且还有种族偏见。

从最近警方在公平及干净选举联盟烛光集会中的行动看来，上述看法不是没有道理的。

虽然人民不满警方执法态度的投诉不绝于耳，但我始终相信警队里也有很多敬业的警员，不过身为执法者，他们还是要面对公众的批评，接受大家目前对警方存有的负面印象。

警方有责任改善警民关系。因此，警方不仅要公正严明，也要言行一致，即执行任务时必须体现公正的态度。警方需要与人民保持良好关系，减少人民对大马警队的猜疑和对立，使人民改观。警方也要确保警员按照条例和程序采取执法行动，确保警员公正对待每一个人。

如果只有几宗不满警方的投诉，当局可能选择不予理会。但如今明显的大部分人都对国家警队持有极坏的印象，如此情况当局总不能视而不见。

调查显示，绝多数人认为大马警队不专业及腐败，他们甚至认为警员有种族偏见，此现象不容忽视。因为，警方需要人民的信任、信心及配合，才能有效维持治安。

一些高级警官早前也和民众对话，促进警民交流与合作，并在数个地区成立了警察之友。在柔佛，警方通过警察之友的网络，获得公众热烈参与协助，共同严打罪案。


不过，如果不能恢复人民对警方的信任和信心，过去做得再好也是功亏一篑。执法很重要，消除警民对立情况也很关键。警方必须要纠正内部偏差，执法时要体现专业和公正精神。或许，马华公会的部长应该在内阁提出这项问题，有内阁成员深入讨论，寻求恢复公信之策。