That he is weighed down by the heavy responsibility of office is to be taken for granted. But this is not helped by the litany of incidents breaking out in the force which, rightly or wrongly, point to a dangerous pattern of behaviour that is at odds with, and alien to, professional policing standards.
The IGP now has to defend himself against allegations of impropriety, this time by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
All these accusations and counter-accusations, claims and counter-claims will invariably draw unnecessary and unflattering attention not only to the high public office he occupies, but to the force he leads.
All this is extremely unfortunate at a time when perceptions of this once proud force are already at the bottom of the pit as far as public confidence is concerned.
What with escalating crime rates in our urban centres to contend with, the police are at the receiving end of public anger and disappointment.
This is perhaps not altogether fair, because I know the police are making strenuous efforts to get on top of the situation but, for reasons best known to themselves, without too much success.
A small minority within the organisation seems to take great pleasure in adding to the IGP's discomfiture by engaging in criminal activities, or those bordering on the criminal, with regular monotony.
Is the police leadership doing enough to stamp out criminal activities within the force, including "syndicated" corruption?
The theft, suspected to have been committed by police personnel, of large quantities of seized drugs from a secure police evidence room in Johor seems made for an old Malay saying, "pagar makan padi".
If we cannot trust our guardians of the law, whom should we trust? But for the initiative of three reporters, this sorry episode might never have come to light.
It is not surprising that members of the public are left wondering whether the police leadership is giving the fight against organised crime sufficient attention, or, less charitably and more accurately, whether there is perhaps not some truth in the saying that there are no bad policemen, only bad officers.
The force can only be as strong as its internal weaknesses, and until these are systematically dealt with, the police will not command the respect either of the criminals they are duty-bound to fight, or the citizens they are sworn to protect.
The IGP occupies arguably the most important and trusted position in the country's criminal justice system. A position that is as powerful as it is uncompromising in its demands for the highest professional and ethical standards of behaviour.
He, like all those either elected or appointed to high public office, cannot afford even a whiff of scandal. It is important for senior public servants to be schooled in the art of avoiding actions that are likely to run counter to established regulations governing professional conduct.
Like Caesar's wife, the IGP must be completely above suspicion, and so must all the officers under his command in state and district headquarters. While reading the Times Online of July 29, I came across a report that "Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, is facing an inquiry over his friendship with a businessman who has been awarded STG3 million (RM21.6 million) of Scotland Yard's contracts.
"He will be questioned about his links with Andy Miller, whom he has known for 30 years and has accompanied on skiing holidays."
Sir Ian, of course, is the self-same Metropolitan Commissioner who was at the centre of the huge controversy when police in July 2005 shot and killed an innocent Brazilian they believed to be a terrorist in a tube station.
Sir Ian is also fighting a legal case brought against him by the Met's highest ranking Asian officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police Tarique Ghaffur, who has accused him of racial discrimination.
Tun Hanif Omar, deputy chairman of the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operations and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police, and members of its mission to London were briefed and later attended a splendid lunch hosted by Mr Ghaffur who, although of obvious Asian origin, was every inch a senior Scotland Yard officer -- articulate, knowledgeable, and possessed all the expected social graces.
There are one or two points that can be viewed and taken as instructive from the Times Online report.
One is that the police force operates under the watchful eye of the community at large, and the head of the organisation is under the spotlight on a 24-hour basis.
His actions, in and out of Bukit Aman, for example, are under close scrutiny. A heavy price to pay, you may say, but that is what a high-profile public office demands of its incumbent. The public expects no less.
In the United Kingdom generally, and in the Metropolitan Police in particular, as soon as a serious allegation of impropriety is made against a county chief constable, commissioner or a senior police officer, an independent investigation will be carried out promptly upon a request, in the case of Scotland Yard, by the Metropolitan Police Authority to the Home Secretary.
It is not unusual for an officer to be suspended from duty while he is under investigation.
This is to ensure transparency and accountability, and non-interference, a practice that we should adopt if we want to generate public confidence in our investigation process involving senior police officers.
The Royal Malaysia Police needs help to overcome its obvious shortcomings. But first, the leadership must change its inward-looking siege mentality of exclusiveness.
Unless it modifies its mindset to embrace public participation, and to treat policing as a community effort, the police will continue to muddle through with blinkers securely in place to the detriment of effective and ethical policing.
It is becoming clearer by the day that an enabling law to implement the most important recommendation of the Royal Police Commission, without adulteration -- the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission -- must be put before our Parliament without any more delay. The police as a body needs to be protected against itself.
Let me end on a musical note, with reference to the opera, The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan, from which this line is taken:
"When constabulary duty's done, A policeman's lot is not a happy one, happy one."
And so say all of us!
The writer was a member of the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operations and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police. He can be contacted at tunkua@gmail.com
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