KUALA LUMPUR: Former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said it was time the government paid more attention to what was happening in the police force in the light of a series of incidents involving the men in blue.
In his latest Facebook posting, Zaid highlighted the case of a woman from China who had been accused of having in her possession an iPhone 12 that was not hers and also slapped with accusation of insulting the police.
He said the woman had been acquitted of the charge by the magistrate's court here after it was established that the phone indeed belonged to her.
However, he pointed out that it had taken eight months for justice to be dispensed and the woman was forced to endure the ordeal of not being able to fly home while waiting for the charges against her to be cleared.
"The phone was hers alright but while waiting for trial, her passport was impounded for eight months.
"But the police did not feel compelled to apologise for the mess they created. In fact, the lady was also charged with using harsh words, which the police considered "insulting."
"On this charge, she was also acquitted," he said, adding the Chinese national was however forced to go through all the troubles, pay for a lawyer's expenses and all that after she had flown here for a visit.
Zaid said he had, a few days ago, urged the Home Minister to spend some time with the police force to find out what was happening.
He noted that there had been too many cases of the police picking up members of the public on charges of insulting them.
He said policemen should be given proper training and suitable lessons on how to deal with the public.
"The public today comes from all over the world.
"Be a professional force, one that has the respect of the world. I bring these small stories to the attention of the government because I share the prime minister's view that we focus on the big issues," he said, adding that neglecting small issues could lead them to become big ones later.
It was reported Zaid yesterday highlighted the case of a news anchor who has come under police attention after he highlighted his encounter with two rude cops.
Zaid took the Subang Jaya police to task after the district police chief Assistant Commisioner Wan Azlan Wan Mamat said the complainant's allegation were considered as having tarnished the force's image.