COMMENT | The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Ahmad Zahid Hamidi thinks that the Malaysian police are the best in the Asean region, based on a recent finding.

However, he refused to name the organisation that came out with this finding, and furthermore, did not disclose the rationale behind this. He regretted that despite the good performance of the Malaysian police, only 20 percent of the public think that the police are doing a good job.

Of all the persons, Zahid should know why the public perception of police's performance is pretty low. It is not a mere subjective perception of the police force, but rather how the police perform their duties towards the general public.

Compared to the last few decades, members of the police force are better educated and more aware of things. They undergo periodic courses to equip themselves with knowledge on how to serve the public, how to stem the tide of corruption, how to treat prisoners in their lockups and most importantly, how to enhance the international image of the country's police force.

The question is: whether the police are doing what they are supposed to do. However, unfortunately, despite the increase in numbers and the overall educational improvement of the police force, strong negative perceptions of the police continue to haunt them as a whole.

Despite the establishment of rules and regulations regarding the treatment of those in custody, custodial deaths continue to mount. The government is yet to establish a body that could effectively oversee the conduct of the police force in dealing with the members of the public.

A general feeling of impunity prevails amongst certain sections of the police force that they can get away with crimes. But yet nothing has been done by the government to address this major problem that bedevils the police force...