PUTRAJAYA: The recent bad press about “bad apples” among cops has not turned people away from the police force.
An overwhelming number of applicants are still trying to join the force, says the Home Ministry.
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“If we had 3,000 positions to fill but only 500 people apply, then we have a problem. But for the police inspector’s job, we have around 35,000 to 40,000 applicants. Of that, we can only take a very select few,” said its Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
“I met the interview panel yesterday (Tuesday) and they told me that these applicants are multi-talented. There are those who are fluent in several languages, and some are even practising lawyers.
“There are also those with professional qualifications such as in data science,” he said, adding that this showed that the public still trusted the police force.
Speaking to the media after a monthly meeting at the ministry headquarters here, he admitted that cases of police corruption and disciplinary issues had negatively affected the force.
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Several high-profile criminal cases across the country have hit headlines in recent weeks, including cases of rape, soliciting bribes and extortion.
Saifuddin Nasution said the actions of the “bad cops” were “totally unfair” to those who served with dignity and honesty.
Asked if the current standards should be looked into to address potential disciplinary issues, he said the standards were sufficient.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain had previously said that disciplinary cases have tarnished the image and diminished the public’s confidence in the force.
He said RM31.44mil has been allocated this year for training, compared with RM22.09mil last year.
