SHAH ALAM: The war against rogue cops who work hand-in-glove with crime syndicates will be widened to include all departments in the force, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
This follows the recent arrests of several high-ranking police officers, including two district police chiefs, who are believed to be protecting vice and illegal gambling syndicates.
Zahid said despite the reducing crime rate in the country, corruption has impeded efforts to improve public confidence in the police.
“What happened in Malacca shows that corruption is not only rampant in the Narcotics Department, but also the Criminal Investigation Department.
“So, we are going to do clean up all (departments),” he said today.
Zahid was speaking to reporters after attending a varsity engagement programme entitled “Sehati Negaraku Malaysia” at Universiti Teknologi Mara’s main campus, here.
Zahid, who is also Home Minister, was commenting on the arrests of seven policemen by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Melaka earlier this week.
The officers are allegedly involved in a protection racket for gambling dens and massage parlours in Melaka.
Zahid also said the reputation of the police force has been tarnished by recent incidents in which cops have been accused of colluding with criminal gangs.
He said the crackdown on corrupt law enforcers should also involve other law enforcement agencies.
“There is corruption in other agencies as well. For example, we recently arrested a Rela officer who sold the corps’ firearms.
“We have also taken action against Immigration Department officers who committed corruption.
“The war on corruption must be waged continuously, not seasonally. We must always be on alert as we are dealing with humans, and there are bad apples among us.
“The prime minister is also monitoring this issue and is being fed information by MACC and other enforcement agencies so that we can see an end to corruption,” he said.
The New Straits Times had, in a series of exclusive reports, revealed the issue of corruption plaguing the Narcotics Department, which saw the federal police initiating a swoop where at least 16 policemen, including high-ranking officers, arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 earlier this month.