THE police force will face severe constraints in handling flood operations and the general election at the same time, Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said today.  

He added that police personnel would have to be allocated to handle both situations, adding that it was necessary to get support from other government agencies. 

He said this after he had been briefed on the situation by the Inspector General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani. 

“The home ministry was informed on the constraints the police will face in mobilizing their operations for flood management if their strength was also needed for the general election,” he said at a press conference in Bukit Aman today. 

On Monday, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the dissolution of parliament, paving the way for the general election. 

Yesterday, the Election Commission said they would meet on October 20 to set the date for the general election.  

Hamzah said that based on previous records, almost 75,000 police personnel were assigned for the previous general election.  

“But for the GE15, due to Undi18 there are now more voters. The police estimate that more than 94,000 officers will need to be assigned out of a total strength of 120,000 personnel,” he said. 

Hamzah said People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) personnel would be placed outside the polling centres while the police would be inside the premises. 

“We need 94,000 officers at the polling centres and we are afraid it will collide (with operations) if a flood situation arises.  

“Because of that, we need the help of other agencies to assist flood victims,” he said. 

Hamzah said that the police would be assisted by Rela and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. 

“In terms of personnel assignment and asset management, a total of 21,018 police, 367 boats, 845 four-wheel drives, 454 trucks and 11 air assets are ready to be deployed according to current needs and developments for the floods.” 

He also said that all district police chiefs had been instructed to make initial preparations for flood operations at their respective district levels. 

He added that a total of 4,367 Rela officers and members with their assets, namely 41 three-ton trucks and 36 four-wheel drives were also on standby for flood operations. – October 12, 2022.