Former IGP Tun Hanif Omar passes away

PETALING JAYA: Former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tun Hanif Omar passed away on Saturday (April 20).

He was 85.

The announcement of Hanif's death was made by his son Abdul Rahmat Omar Mohamed Haniff in a Facebook post, in which he said his father passed away at about 2.15am.

Abdul Rahmat said his father’s remains will be taken to the Al-Ikhlas Mosque in Section 13, Shah Alam, Selangor, and later to Bukit Aman Mosque for funeral prayers, before being laid to rest at Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery, Damansara.

Born in Teluk Intan, Perak, Hanif was the Melaka police chief in 1970 and then the Selangor police chief in 1971, before becoming the Deputy Inspector-General of Police on Feb 1, 1973.

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Hanif was appointed as Malaysia's fourth IGP at the age of 35 on June 8, 1974 and remained at the post for 20 years until his retirement in Jan 15, 1994 and leaves behind a legacy as the youngest and longest-serving leader of the Royal Malaysia Police.

He succeeded Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Hashim, who was assassinated by communists.

A year into his tenure as IGP, Mohammed Hanif established the elite counter-terrorism unit, the Special Actions Unit (UTK), on Jan 1, 1975, and played a pivotal role in the rescue operation during the AIA building hostage crisis in August of the same year.

Among his notable contributions is the renaming of the Bluff Road Police Station to the PDRM headquarters, Bukit Aman, on March 25, 1975.