THE two police officers convicted for the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu shook me to the core. I was taken aback by the fact these men in blue, who were trained and primed to serve and protect the public, were capable of such a heinous crime. They deserve the maximum sentence the law allows.

There is another murder charge a senior police officer is facing now. This time, a 17-year-old schoolboy died as a consequence, and it has shaken the confidence of the public. The manner in which the boy died left many who witnessed the incident in a state of shock, disbelief and trauma.

The legal comments have begun on the merits of the charge as the debate heats up whether the penal code or a traffic offence is appropriate. Obviously, these questions are premature at this stage, before the commencement of proceedings, of which the burden of proof lies squarely upon the prosecution to make out a prima facie case.

We must also keep in mind it is not impossible to make use of a vehicle as a weapon of offence to deliberately and/or repeatedly run down or over someone to cause death. The burden of proving this aspect of the charge, again, lies with the prosecution. The evidence adduced from witnesses, forensics, scene of crime and vehicle scrutiny, etc will be ventilated in court. For the moment, all relevant parties will have to be patient and allow the law to take its course.

The police are to be commended for having been professional in discharging their duty to the best of their ability in investigating swiftly and bringing the accused to face court action. The nature and degree of aggression by all parties in this case will also come under the microscope, more so for the accused as he is expected, as a senior police officer, to be trained to use minimum force in any situation.

A short fuse in place of cool and calm composure has always been a recipe for disaster, especially for those entrusted with enforcing the law. Bad apples are heavy liabilities to the police service and have to be weeded out if the service is to stay relevant and effective. This includes those with a dangerous short fuse apart from those who are incompetent and criminals in disguise.

There are monumental challenges ahead for the police service, and the top echelon must be at the forefront of calling a spade a spade in police reform. – December 26, 2023.

* G. Selvakumar reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.