Monday January 21, 2013

Too few Chinese in Police Volunteer Reserves

KUCHING: At the start of this year’s first training for a batch of members of the Police Volunteer Reserves (PVR) near here yesterday, it was obvious that there were very few Chinese among them.

Of the 616 who reported for the one-week training at a police training facility at Padawan, just a handful were non-bumiputras.

“We are always encouraging everyone to take part. We are totally colour blind,” replied state Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Law Hong Soon during a press conference when asked about the low rate of participation of non-bumiputras.

Ready to serve: Some of the participants of this year's first series of Police Volunteer Reserves reciting their oaths at a Padawan training facility near Kuching.

“We are open to whoever wants to join the programme. It is after all on a voluntary basis.

“It really does not matter what race those who sign up are. Everyone interested can join us. This programme is one that is ‘from the people, for the people’.”

Earlier during a dialogue between DCP Law and the reservists, the deputy police chief asked for a show of hands of the different races, saying that they must all regard each other as equals.

He said part of the measures to win the “hearts and minds of the people” was by displaying “peace and harmony”.

DCP Law himself had noted during the show of hands that most were Malays, followed by Dayaks, and then Chinese. There was one Indian. This year’s first series of the PVC is likely to include about 1,400 participants.

At the Padawan training facility, 677 were accepted (although not all showed during registration) while 736 others will undergo training in Sibu, Miri, Limbang and Lawas.

DCP Law said he was pleased with the increasing number of reservists each year.

“Looking at the figures this time around, it is clear that the community is growing more confident of the police since more people are signing up. I’m very happy that today, so many are here to experience for themselves how police work is like.”

DCP Law said under Budget 2013, funds totalling RM70mil were made available for the PVR programme, with a goal of attracting 10,000 volunteers nationwide this year.

The increased Government emphasis on PVR is part of the next phase of the National Key Results Areas initiatives on crime prevention, he said.

PVR serves to increase the number of “stakeholders” in order to be “united against crime”.

The training usually lasts for about a week.

News

Monday January 21, 2013

Too few Chinese in Police Volunteer Reserves