I refer to the Malaysiakini report BMC fracas: Police beat up youth .
This incident is too shocking to brush aside. It transcends the usual de-sensitising fatigue one tends to feel nowadays from an overload of farce. Malaysians should not tolerate this incident as it is a clear case of abuse of police powers and an incident of blatant police brutality. It is unprofessional behaviour of the worst kind and should not be accepted or tolerated in any way, shape or form from any member of the police force or the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU).
The people who did this constitute a grave danger to every member of the general public. If they can do this in broad daylight with not a care in the world for the consequences and for the good name of the Royal Malaysian Police, what do you think men like these are capable of doing to defenceless Malaysians arrested and held in their custody in dirty, dingy police lock-ups in the darkness outside the public’s gaze or the media’s spotlight?
There seems to be sufficient evidence in this case to charge and prosecute all those concerned for what clearly appears to be an incident where several members of the police and FRU seem to have completely lost control of their senses and for whatever reason, whether from rage or palpable hatred or racism, took it upon themselves to gang-up on and beat to a pulp a young Malaysian citizen.
A citizen whom I am prepared to say will almost certainly be found to be innocent of any offence that may be conveniently blamed upon him and whom in no way, whether innocent or not, warranted such a ferocious attack on his body.
No member of the police or any police force anywhere has the right to assault and brutalise people or have any right whatsoever to use unreasonable force in carrying out their public order duties, full stop. If they do, they will in all cases be deemed to have lost control of the policing situation under their control, and to have become - in those circumstances - just as much of a danger to the public as criminals.
It is also never up to the police to judge and decide on the guilt or innocence of a suspect or to mete out any sort of punishment. That role has been to a court of law. The police are employed and paid to maintain law and order through the use of professional standards and methods.
The above case shows a clear failure of policing by the men involved. All such rogue elements in the police should be suspended, investigated and prosecuted. Police personnel who act in this manner bring disrepute and dishonour to the Malaysian police.
And the first in line to be suspended for police misbehaviour should be that so-called senior police officer who stated that the brutality was just desserts for the victim! Policemen like him are a disgrace to the police and to all professional police officers.
Unfortunately, this is what usually happens to police forces when senior officers behave like cheap thugs and criminals instead of leading by example and being role models for the rank and file.
I sincerely hope that the respective federal government authorities concerned, including the Selangor state government, will take the necessary action over what is clearly a serious case of lawlessness stemming police misconduct on the streets of Malaysia. And I hope the rakyat will bring the police and FRU to task and account for this shocking display of lawless brutality on their streets from personnel they pay to safeguard and protect them.
I hope the rakyat and the press will demand a public apology from the IGP himself for this shameful incident and will insist that he stop passing any buck and take responsibility for the appalling behaviour of his men who in this barbaric incident acted like anarchic vigilantes instead of law enforcement personnel.
