Big changes in top brass for police force

KUALA LUMPUR: A massive change in the leadership of the police force is set to take place soon as its top brass – with the exception of Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Musa Hassan – is retiring this year. 

The first officer from Squad 69 (officers who joined the police force in 1969) to leave was Internal Security and Public Order director Commissioner Datuk Othman Talib. He retired last week. 

Deputy Narcotics Crimes Investigations Department director SAC I Datuk Ahmed Tejuddin Majeed has also retired. 

The others due for retirement are Criminal Investigations Department (CID) director Commissioner Datuk Fauzi Shaari, Federal Commercial Cri-mes Department director Com-missioner Datuk Hairuddin Mohd, Director of Management Commissioner Datuk Kamaruddin Ali, Narcotics Crimes Investigations Department director DCP Datuk Najib Abdul Aziz and Director of Logistics DCP Datuk Shahrudin Samsudin. 

The high-ranking senior officers and state police chiefs retiring are Deputy CID director Deputy Commissioner Datuk Nawawi Ismail, Selangor police chief DCP Yahya Udin, Kedah police chief DCP Zuber Shariff, Sabah police chief DCP Mangsor Ismail, Federal Traffic chief SAC I Datuk Gingkoi Seman Pancras and Kuala Lumpur CID chief SAC II Karn Kam Peng. 

The contracts of Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar and Special Branch director Commissioner Datuk Yusof Abdul Rahman are also due to expire this year. 

Mohd Bakri’s contract expires in September and Comm Yusof’s in December. 

However, there is a possibility that the Government may re-new or offer contracts to several of the top brass. 

Realising the need to fill the vacuum left by top cops when they retire, the police force has in the past few years been identifying and promoting several young officers. 

Musa has been quoted as saying that the force was on the lookout for young and deserving officers who not only have credibility but also integrity. 

This was evident in the recent appointments of Senior Asst Commissioner I Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar, 47, as Negri Sem-bilan police chief and Senior Asst Commissioner I Zulkifli Abdullah, 45, as Kelantan police chief.