KUALA LUMPUR: The government has proposed to introduce 10 amendments to the Police Act 1967, including the insertion of a new Section 6A that stipulates that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall be the Honorary Commissioner-in-Chief of the Royal Malaysia Police.
The Bill was tabled for its first reading by Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah in parliament on Monday (March 18).
The second and third readings were scheduled to be carried out in this session.
According to the blue draft bill distributed in Parliament on Monday (March 18), the provision also involved the amendment to Clause 4 of the Bill, which sought to amend Section 21 providing for the obligation of police officers to carry out escort duties on any public road, with the change aiming to increase the penalty for non-compliance by members of the public.
The change would see any person who obstructs, opposes or fails to comply with police instructions fined up to RM10,000 and imprisoned for up to two years compared to the current penalty of RM200 and two months' imprisonment.
The amendment to Clause 5, on the other hand, sought to increase the maximum fine from RM1,000 to RM2,000 for any person who failed to comply with a police order to stop before reaching any barrier erected or placed by any police officer, stipulated under Section 26.
Aside from that, the government also planned to amend Clause 6 involving changes to Section 66, which stipulated that any employer who failed to re-employ any reserve police officer was liable to a maximum fine of RM2,000 and a one-year jail term, compared to RM1,000 and six months imprisonment that was currently in force.
An amendment to Section 86 also provided that any police officer who failed to report for duty for 14 consecutive days without reasonable cause woud be deemed to have deserted, and would be guilty of an offence.
The First Schedule to the Act also sought to delete the reference "Senior Inspector" as the position was no longer used in the ranks of the police force.
