Bukit Aman sets up department to act on crooked cops
The police have formed a new branch called the Integrity and Standard Compliance Department (JIPS) to act against corrupt or negligent police officers, The Star reported today.
Modelled after the New York Police Department's Internal Affairs Bureau, JIPS officers have the power to raid police stations and conduct random tests to weed out errant cops.
"Some in the force will not like it, but it is time that we take a look at ourselves and change what needs to be changed," first director Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Zubaidah Md Ismail told the English daily.
She said that with JIPS, police could now fight corruption through proactive measures rather than wait for a public complaint to be lodged.
"Prevention is better than cure. Before JIPS, we used the reactive approach by only taking action when a complaint is made," she told The Star.
Among the actions JIP will take is to administer random urine checks on cops and deploy undercover personnel to test them.
"Those being evaluated will not know the mystery consumer's specific identity and purpose. A detailed report will be sent to us. If the officer excels, his work will be acknowledged. If he fails, action will be taken against him."
She added that no officer would be spared the random tests, which included presenting the personnel with opportunities to bribe, steal or commit a crime without knowledge that they were being monitored.
"We will plant our officers and raid premises without the knowledge of the OCPD if no action is taken against reports lodged.
"Sometimes, we need a little slap to realise that we've been complacent," she was quoted as saying.
JIPS would also send warning letters to district police chiefs if their standards were not up to par, SDCP Zubaidah told The Star.
The police disciplinary board would be absorbed into JIPS to allow them to monitor both the attitude and the integrity of police officers, she added.
Between January and September this year, a total of 695 cases of abuse of power were reported against policemen, an increase of 96 cases compared with last year, she said.
"This bigger problem we are facing now is abuse of power among policemen, including poor delivery of services. Corruption is second.
"We are now conducting random integrity testing on our personnel since the establishment of JIPS," she was quoted as saying.
She added that the numbers are expected to go up as JIPS goes "down to the core" to clean up the force.
SDCP Zubaidah added she was aware that some quarters would jump the moment her department faltered, but said this served as a warning to herself and her officers.
"We are here to work and we shall work honestly. We must look at ourselves first and change what needs to be changed before we can change that system," she told The Star. – October 20, 2014.
