LETTER | I expected firm and stern disciplinary action to be taken against police officer, Sheila Sharon Steven Kumar and was quite surprised that criminal proceedings have commenced.

The alleged viral videos indicated that she had overstepped police decorum in the spirit and philosophy of the force - to serve and protect.

The police are trained to be firm and courteous at all times when dealing with the public in exercising their special powers as stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Code.

Some of Sheila’s alleged actions, reactions and conduct towards the public leaves much to be desired.

However, her alleged brash reaction to the junior police officer trying to exert his authority over her is a different matter altogether as there is the question of command and control in the uniform.

This, of course, will be ventilated during proceedings and therefore, we cannot speculate any further.

The burden now is upon the prosecution to make out a prima facie case and we will be privy to the evidence available when proceedings commence.

It augurs well for the image of the police that it has taken swift action against one of its own. Sheila too will have her day in court to defend herself and have her say, in accordance with the rule of law.

However, there have been some questions as to other alleged cases that were more serious involving corruption and abuse of power that were not swiftly dealt with, as was in the case of Sheila.

We need IPCMC

There were cases of drunk driving, corruption and abuse of power that took some time, at times, years, before the personnel concerned was/were charged.

This alleged delay and selective prosecution further enhance the need to implement the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) as soon as possible - which would be neutral in the relevant investigations and recommendations.

Arrogance, pride and honour can get mixed up when the uniform engulfs an individual. For the moment, in Sheila’s matter, we have to allow the law to take its course.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.