KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar has called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to be set up immediately to look into allegations of a cartel within the police force.

Its president AG Kalidas said an independent RCI was imperative to get to the bottom of the matter which was raised by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador.

“A transparent and independent investigation has to be instituted without delay to determine the veracity of the IGP’s worrying claims, and to ensure the integrity of PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police) is preserved,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He added that the claims by the IGP about some young police officers spearheading a cartel to bring him down and control the police force for their own interests were “shocking and seriously erode public confidence in PDRM”.

Kalidas said the failure to establish an RCI would “leave us with many unanswered questions”, adding that it might give rise to an inference that there were substantive problems within the police force or that those in power had something to hide.

These allegations, he said, had the unfortunate effect of casting aspersions on all members of PDRM, the vast majority of whom, he noted, were law-abiding and doing their utmost to protect life and property.

“Only an RCI will help clear the air and restore public confidence in the many men and women in the police force,” he said.

During an interview programme with Sinar Harian on Wednesday, Abdul Hamid said an unscrupulous group of junior police officers was plotting his downfall, allegedly to enable them to carry on with “their dirty work”.

“An allegation of manoeuvrings within the most important agency trusted to uphold law and order reignites our long-held clarion call that this nation desperately needs a properly empowered, independent, and external oversight body to investigate complaints against the police force – the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission,” Kalidas said.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/03/21/malaysian-bar-calls-for-rci-on-police-cartel