‘Be proud of our police force’

KUALA LUMPUR: The sacrifices of the Royal Malaysian Police in maintaining the nation’s safety and security must always be held in high esteem and respect, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The Prime Minister said no one can deny the priceless contributions of the police force over the years in keeping the country safe, especially thousands of police personnel at the front-line, who are willing to forsake their own safety and well-being for the people.

“If we look at history, the police have been at the forefront in combating those who threatened national security.

“Whether it was the communist threat or the Lahad Datu incident, the police have sacrificed for all Malaysians,” he said in his speech before launching the 210th Police Day celebrations at the Police Train­ing Centre (Pulapol) yesterday.

Najib expressed his sadness that some people had belittled the contributions by the police and even tarnished the force’s image by hurling baseless allegations and spreading lies.

“Such despicable acts must be condemned. The Government will always stand behind PDRM. It is an institution that should be respected and admired,” he added.

Najib said Malaysia’s economy has persevered despite the challenging times globally and this is due to the country’s peace and stability.

“Bank Negara Malaysia has reported that the country’s economic growth will be between 4.3% and 4.8% this year.

“The country also recently received RM31bil in investments from Saudi Arabia and a Digital Free Trade Zone was launched that is expected to create 60,000 new jobs.

“Such feats cannot be achieved without the fundamental element – peace and stability. The force has been instrumental in maintaining peace and stability,” he added.

The Prime Minister also commended the police for being able to lower the crime index by almost 3% last year compared to 2015.

“The solving rate for cases also increased from 51.4% in 2015 to 53.5% in 2016. Hopefully the crime index can be lowered between 5% and 10% this year,” he said.

Najib also lauded the pro-active efforts in combating terrorism threats, such as including the creation of the Digital Counter Messaging Centre.

“Continuous and effective operations against militants have prevented terror attacks on home soil except for a small one (Movida bombing last year).

“However, the attack in front of Britain’s Parliament House and the murder of Kim Jong-nam at KLIA2 are reminders that we must always be on constant alert.

“The Government will never compromise in matters of security,” he said.

Najib also announced yesterday that the Cabinet has approved the construction of a football stadium in Pulapol that can accommodate 35,000 spectators, as well as a new base for the Special Action Unit (UTK) in Semenyih.

Later, he launched the “Tabung Amanah Warisan Polis”, a fund for retired police personnel and their families, of which RM3mil has been allocated by the Government.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said he was grateful for the contributions from the Government.

“It will be our first stadium and construction is expected to begin this year,” he added.

Among others who attended the event were the Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamad.