THE Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) is one of the 125 recommendations made in 2005 by a royal commission of inquiry formed after a spate of deaths in police custody.

Its formation has been delayed by opposition from the Royal Malaysian Police Force (PDRM). As a compromise, the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) was established in 2009.

The EAIC’s mandate was to inculcate and enhance integrity among law enforcement agencies and officers, to strengthen public confidence in them. However, it lacked the power to take action on complaints against errant officers.

Pakatan Harapan, while in the opposition, had made establishing IPCPC one of the items on its reform agenda.

Here are the 125 recommendations proposed by the RCI:

1. Adopt a new PDRM motto

2. Review and refine the vision statement.

3. Modify the mission and functions of PDRM

4. Strengthen PDRM’s value system

5. Develop a doctrine of PDRM leadership

6. Articulate and implement a proper code of ethics

7.Shift from a “force” to a “service” paradigm

8. Focus professional policing resources on core policing functions, and civilianise or outsource non-core policing functions

9. Strengthen community policing

10. Forge partnerships with civil groups and the private sector

11. Close the gap between philosophy, doctrine and actualisation

12. Establish an independent oversight mechanism

13. Make crime reduction priority No. 1 for PDRM, together with the eradication of corruption, and compliance with the prescribed laws and human rights

14. Formulate and implement annual and monthly crime-reduction plans

15. Allocate more policing resources for crime control

16. Make community policing a central strategy for crime prevention

17. Enhance private sector partnership and contribution to policing

18. Review strategies and measures to address the drug problem, and intensify measures to combat the issue in cooperation with other agencies

19. Develop PDRM’s research and development capacity

20. Amend Section 107(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC)

21. Amend Section 108A of CPC

22. Maintain a standby pool of interpreters

23. Develop a fully integrated and analytical reporting system

24. Train officers tasked with classifying reports

25. Improve supervision and monitoring of crime reports

26. Establish reasonable grounds before arrest

27. Draw up a code of practice for search and seizure

28. Adopt a code of practice for proactive investigation

29. Improve PDRM’s informer system

30. Provide for rotation in detectives’ postings

31. Adopt a new code of practice for the identification of suspects

32. Improve the training of investigation officers

33. Substitute Section 113 of CPC with a new provision

34. Record statements or confessions before the magistrate, pursuant to Section 115 of CPC

35. Draw up a code of practice for the recording, storage and return of exhibits

36. Provide more effective supervision through better case management

37. Involve the public prosecutor early on in police investigations

38. Ensure the proper handover of investigation papers

39. Establish a cold case unit

40. Make greater use of scientific and technical aids in investigation

41. Link the national fingerprint database to PDRM

42. Establish multidisciplinary and multiagency investigation teams

43. Outline procedure for “RTM” cases and enable the automatic application of the order to investigate for non-seizable offences

44. Encode Inspector General Standing Orders (IGSOs) as subsidiary legislation under the Police Act1967 and make them accessible to police officers over the intranet

45. Establish an effective compliance-monitoring capacity

46. Make eradicating police corruption one of the three PDRM reform priorities

47. Adopt a proactive anti-corruption strategy

48. Develop education and training programmes to encourage a culture of honesty and integrity

49. Review and strengthen PDRM’s anti-corruption mechanism in the disciplinary division

50. Establish an audit management unit

51. Implement regular job rotations and tenure limitations

52. Amend laws, regulations and work procedures

53. Launch joint operations

54. Improve and rigorously implement the declaration of assets requirement

55. Payment of compounds

56. Make compliance with human rights and the prescribed laws one of the three top priorities for PDRM

57. Launch a human rights education and information initiative in PDRM

58. Amend Section 27 of the Police Act

59. Amend Section 73 of the Internal Security Act 1960

60. Amend Section 3 of the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985

61.Repeal the Restricted Residence Act 1933 and Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance 1969

62. Partially repeal the Prevention of Crime Act 1959

63. Amend Section 117 of CPC

64. Adopt a code of practice relating to the arrest and detention of persons

65. Conduct inquiries into all cases of custodial deaths, and make the process more expeditious, transparent and accountable

66. Enhance the Special Branch’s accountability

67. Mount intensive and sustained programmes to raise awareness and respect for women’s rights in society

68. Enhance PDRM training programmes covering women’s rights, and the management of women suspects and victims

69. Increase the establishment of PDRM units handling the investigation into crimes related to women and children

70. Ensure compliance with legal provisions and IGSOs relating to women complainants and the investigation of women suspects

71. Enhance facilities and support for women suspects and complainants at police stations

72. Adopt a more proactive and preventive approach to domestic violence

73. Disseminate knowledge on the provisions of the Child Act 2001 within PDRM

74. Increase the number of child protection units

75. Conduct hearings for children in the child protection unit

76. Improve the arrest and investigation process in child-related cases

77. Establish a separate child division in PDRM to address child-related cases

78. Redeploy the PDRM uniformed establishment according to professional policing requirements

79. Fill additional posts presently pending consideration and approval by the Public Service Department with police personnel involved in the migration exercise

80. Civilianise or outsource non-core policing functions and non-policing functions that do not require professional policing competencies

81. Enhance ethnic representation in PDRM

82. Increase gender representation in PDRM

83. Raise the entry qualifications for constable and inspector

84. Provide special allowance for PDRM personnel stationed in the Klang Valley, Johor Baru and other major towns

85. Develop a competencies-based model for human resource development

86. Further develop the balanced scorecard system employed by PDRM

87. Prepare and publish annual best value performance plans

89. Institute annual, five-yearly and 10-yearly perspective workforce planning in PDRM

90. Revamp PDRM training and development programmes

91. Improve and increase PDRM training institutions

92. Improve succession and career planning for PDRM personnel

93. Have two deputy IGP posts

94. Establish a religious development unit in PDRM

95. Review regulations governing PDRM discipline

96. Ensure all police stations have computers

97. Establish an integrated IT structure and management framework

98. Review PDRM’s lT Strategic Information System Plan

99. Establish PDRM’s IT governance framework

100. Establish good IT management framework

101. Restructure and enhance the capabilities of PDRM’s IT division

102. Develop and integrate application systems

103. Enhance technology service management

104. Adopt a good IT security framework

105. Ensure continuity of PDRM services and disaster recovery

106. Improve capacity planning to ensure system capacity meets operational growth

107. Enhance vendor and contract management

108. Study and propose a good IT infrastructure that will make the system more reliable, and enable progressive development

109. Rationalise and implement the proper management of IT assets

110. Establish a common data framework

111. Enhance existing IT training

112. Adopt an integrated organisation capability model

113. Consider the asset requirements of the communications division

114. Address the inadequate and ageing fleet of PDRM vehicles

115. Review and increase the supply of mobile patrol vehicles

116. Provide sufficient funding for the weaponry division

117. Identify and restore or replace old and poorly maintained housing

118. Adopt a more proactive role in rehabilitating “sick” projects

119. Identify locations where housing is critically needed

120. Pursue alternative housing options

121. Coordinate with other government agencies to ensure adequate policing requirements in new town development planning

122. Implement an asset management strategy for police property

123. Improve PDRM training centres

124. Improve police lock-ups and increase their capacity

125. Provide adequate funding to maintain police premises. – March 29, 2019.