FEDERAL Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Mohd Suhaily Mohd Zain’s recent fiery speech at a closed door meeting with his CID officers in Penang has caused a stir among the police force and the public at large.

The newly appointed Suhaily, who replaced Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, said he knows of some top officers owning luxury cars and being in cahoots with crime syndicates, warning them he will act.

“Either you change or you will be changed,” Suhaily said sternly to 130 district criminal investigation department chiefs.

A recording of his speech, at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang last Friday, has now gone viral.

A Special Branch (SB) officer attached to a district police station in Kuala Lumpur, said the warning came at the right time as he alleged some departments are currently being led and run by crooked police officers.

The SB officer, who did not want to be identified, said much of his information on vice activities in the city was ignored by high-ranking police personnel from other departments.

“I can vouch for what Suhaily said as being the truth. He mentioned in his speech about cops working with syndicates and how one day, we might end up killing each other because of money. It can happen.

“My job is to gather intelligence on crime or narcotics in KL. I go out without carrying a gun as I need to stay ‘undercover’, but every time I submit a report, there is no follow up.

“They (higher ranking officers) do not bother to investigate or look at my reports,” the SB officer said.

He said on several occasions he submitted his findings directly to the police chief and that was when there would be flare-ups between the SB and the CID department.

“The CID would come out with their own report claiming that our information was unreliable and no such activities happened under their watch.

“The truth is, they had already informed the syndicate to lay low or disappear for a while.

“Tell me why there’s still prostitution in hotels in Kuala Lumpur if no one is protecting them?

“How can a low-ranking police officer afford to use the latest mobile phone and drive a continental car that would cost him thousands in instalments every month?

“What the CID director said is an open secret. Either you take his words seriously or pretend everything is fine,” he added.

In his speech, Suhaily had said he had no use for officers who were only interested in their personal gain.

“This isn’t about dignifying the force, but filling their own pockets. They are willing to sell the lives of their teammates for money that they get from syndicates. In other words, there are those who will kill another just for money.

“Listen to these words coming from your director; not your officer in charge of criminal investigations (OCCI), not even your KP (state police chief).

“Don’t waste time by just coming to sit here, then go back and return to your old habits,” the CID director had said.

Act on information

Former police commando Halim Ishak believed Suhaily was trying to avoid any untoward incidents from occurring in the police force.

The ex-Vat 69 police officer said the police should immediately act against rogue officers without any political interference.

“I think Suhaily wanted to remind his men to remain loyal and he wanted to avoid any untoward incidents from happening.

“The speech was a good reminder to every policeman that if they have valid information, they should take action and this should be without any political interference,” said Halim who is now the chairman of Skuad Kebajikan 1/86 Pulapol KL.

Former inspector-general of police Hamid Bador, before his retirement, claimed there was a cabal aiming to oust him for being vocal in exposing issues of misconduct, integrity and corruption within the force.

The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission, however, said it couldn’t determine Hamid’s allegation as he did not submit any evidence to support his claim nor name officers allegedly involved in the cabal.

In a letter to The Malaysian Insight, a former police officer said the new CID director will have his hands full identifying the wolves in sheep’s clothing and kicking them out of the police force.

“The risk he has to take is the possibility of being a general without an army while he beefs up his ground troops with the personnel of his choice who share his goals and values.

“This is a tall order and he must be given the time, space and support by the system to build up a CID that can deliver the goods,” the former officer said. – October 10, 2023.