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KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman will not compromise when taking action against personnel in cahoots with prostitution or illegal gambling syndicates, says Tan Sri Razarudin Husain (pic).
The Inspector-General of Police said there is no place for anyone in the police force who is "loyal" to any criminal syndicate or cartel.
"Through the Integrity and Standard Compliance Department, Bukit Aman is always committed to taking action on any party that has broken the law, including those protecting illegal activities for bribes," said Razarudin.
He added that he does not deny the statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that prostitution and illegal gambling are still rampant in the country.
"However, what is more worrying is the perception that some police officers are receiving bribes to protect syndicates," he said when contacted on Sunday (July 14).
The IGP said personnel at all levels in the police force have been reminded constantly to regain the trust and confidence of the people and to not be involved in any illegal activity.
"Our commitment is to ensure everyone in the police force carries out their duties sincerely and honestly to maintain peace and public order and ensure that the people get the best service," he added.
Razarudin said arrests and prosecutions were made on corrupt officers and personnel between 2020 and 2024.
"Based on Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) records, 449 police officers have been detained since 2020. Of this, 179 officers were charged and 76 were convicted for various bribery charges," he said.
"For bribery offences involving illegal gambling and prostitution, 28 officers were detained and eight of them were charged and convicted during the same period. This is 0.0022% of the police force, which has 134,426 personnel," added Razaruddin.
Razarudin then said that the police are always looking for relevant approaches to close off any opportunity for corrupt practices.
He said that the Department has already presented a proposal to the Anti-Illegal Activity Secretariat on Jan 11 and its implementation in the context of the secretariat is through the Central Geospatial Illegal Activities Mapping System (CGIA).
"This system will be able to assist in gathering, storing and analysing the mapping of large-scale illegal activities. We feel the mechanism is spot-on in curbing illegal gambling and prostitution as well as closing any opportunity for police officers to protect criminal syndicates," he said.
