Role models: Comm Kumar (right) speaking to Kons Romual Joshua (left), L/Kpl Muhammad Solehim (second from left) and L/Kpl Wan Muhammad Azihan (third from left) after handing them a certificate of appreciation for saying no to bribery. Looking on is Kota Tinggi OCPD Supt Hussin Zamora (fourth from left). — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: It was Kons R. Romual Joshua’s first patrol duty when two men offered him cash as an inducement not to arrest them.
The 28-year-old, who has been with the police force for about a year, said he was placed on motorcycle patrolling duties with two other colleagues on Feb 10.
“The three of us were at Jalan Tun Ali in Bandar Tenggara, Kota Tinggi, at around 6.30pm when we noticed two Nepali men on a motorcycle. We stopped them to check their documents but they claimed that they did not have their passports with them,” he said when interviewed at the Johor police monthly assembly here yesterday.
Kons Romual Joshua, who is with the Bandar Tenggara police station, said that they informed the men that they would be booked for riding a motorcycle without a licence and for not wearing a helmet.
One of the foreigners then tried to give the policemen RM50 each to let them go, he said, adding that his colleagues gave them three warnings but the man insisted on offering the bribe.
“In the end, we hauled them to the police station where appropriate action was taken. It was an interesting first day for me that day,” he said, adding that he was previously manning the front counter at the police station for about six months before he was assigned to patrolling duties.
Kons Romual Joshua, Lans Koperal Wan Muhammad Azihan Wan Abd Rahman, 29, and Lans Koperal Muhammad Solehim Azizan, 30, received certificates of appreciation from Johor police chief Comm M. Kumar yesterday.
Lans Koperal Muhammad Azihan said they had refused to accept the bribe because “our integrity and values cannot be bought”. Still, he said, they had not expected any recognition for doing their job.
“This is a motivation for us to keep going and we hope to continue upholding the police’s image,” he added.
Comm Kumar congratulated the three of them, saying that he wanted a police force that is known for its honour.
On a separate matter, he said that 28,100 traffic summonses were issued under Ops Selamat during the Chinese New Year period from Feb 8 to Feb 13. This was an increase from about 20,000 summonses issued during a similar period last year.
Ops Selamat also saw 366 speeding tickets and 80 traffic summonses issued to Singaporean road users, he said.
“From Jan 2 until Feb 26, 1,134 traffic summonses, including for speeding and other offences, were issued to Singaporeans.
“The compounds issued came to about RM9,950, with 146 summonses paid while 988 are still pending,” added Comm Kumar.
