More oversight: The Home Minister said an allocation of RM30mil was approved by the government in 2021 to procure police body-worn cameras under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
KUALA LUMPUR: Body-worn cameras (BWCs) are expected to be fitted on policemen in the first quarter of 2025, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
In a parliamentary written reply dated Oct 26, the Home Minister said the government had approved a RM30mil allocation for the procurement of these gadgets under the 12th Malaysia Plan in 2021.
The procurement would be done through open tender and the project duration is 24 months, he said.
“At this time, the ministry is carrying out the procurement process,” he added.
The Home Ministry’s Procurement Board is expected to hold a meeting next month and a Letter of Award is expected to be issued in December.
“The police is expected to fully deploy the BWCs in the first quarter of 2025, after taking into account the entire supply process including testing, site visits, training and commissioning which is expected to go on throughout next year,” he said.
He was responding to a question by Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng on whether the police uniform would be redesigned to make it more suitable for the hot and humid weather and why the use of BWCs has yet to be implemented.
On Feb 21, Saifuddin said the 7,648 body cameras that would be fitted on police personnel is estimated to cost between RM2,000 and RM2,500 each.
He said the gadgets would be fitted on officers across 157 district police headquarters nationwide.
