PETALING JAYA: It is an offence for police officers and personnel to receive ang pow (red packets) while on duty, says Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain.
He described as serious the incident in which cash was discovered in ang pow packets at the Setapak police station.
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"The act of receiving any form of cash while working is wrong as it could be questioned and connected to an element of corruption.
"I commend the Integrity and Standards Compliance Department for screening the personnel at the station, which is under the Wangsa Maju district police headquarters.
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"It clearly shows that my previous instruction on Feb 1 has opened the eyes of officers and personnel (in supervisory positions)," he told a press conference after launching Ops Selamat in conjunction with Chinese New Year at Persada PLUS on Wednesday (Feb 7).
"(On Feb 1) my instruction was addressed to all state police chiefs, commandants and OCPDs.
"In this case (at Setapak police station), the supervisor on duty did not fulfil his duties as I instructed.
"A good supervisor will conduct a proper inspection and ensure his subordinates have not committed an offence," he added.
Razarudin said as per standard operating procedure (SOP), each supervisor must check the pockets of their subordinates and ensure that their cash on hand did not exceed RM100.
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"I will give you an example of a policeman who declared he had RM100 while on duty but when he returned to the station, he had RM400 with him as he made a bank withdrawal.
"It is not an offence as long as proof of withdrawal can be produced.
"If a policeman on leave visits his friend's home and is given an ang pow, it is a different situation as he is (off duty) at the time," he added.
The IGP said all officers and personnel must play their part to ensure that the police force serves with honesty.
