Safety advocates call for more equipment, training for frontline personnel
SHAH ALAM: An attack on a policeman that left him with a severed hand has raised concerns among safety advocates over the well-being of frontline personnel and the risks they face when responding to tense situations.
It has also highlighted the need for adequate training, protective equipment and effective safety measures to safeguard those who deal with potentially violent individuals.
Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Shazeli Kahar said initial information suggested that the assailant had been experiencing mental health issues and was running amok at the time.
“It was on this basis that the police, together with personnel from other agencies, went to assess the situation, but the root cause is still being probed,” he added.
Police have so far recorded more than 20 statements, including from people who knew the attacker.
Comm Shazeli was speaking on an incident in which a 26-year-old policeman from the Gombak Mobile Patrol Vehicle unit had his right hand hacked off at the wrist and sustained injuries to his head and body.
The policeman was responding to a distress call when he was attacked by a foreigner armed with two machetes at an apartment in Kepong on Wednesday evening.
The attacker was eventually shot dead.
It was reported that doctors at Hospital Kuala Lumpur had reattached the policeman’s hand.
Asked if the presence of a large crowd at the scene had affected police response, Comm Shazeli said it could have been one of several contributing factors.
“The premises was rather cramped, with personnel from several agencies present.
“This may have affected the actions that could be taken at the time.
“Officers at the scene must make the final assessment and decide on the appropriate course of action based on the circumstances,” he said.
In a statement yesterday, Alliance for a Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the safety of police personnel must be made a priority.
He said the incident underscored the importance of protecting police personnel, and urged the force to ensure adequate training, protective equipment and operational safety procedures are in place.
“More importantly, the growing trend of violent behaviour in our society is a serious concern. Attacks involving weapons and extreme aggression must not be allowed to become normalised.
“We must protect those who protect us,” he added.
In a Bernama report, Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health president Datuk Ahmad Fakhrul Anuar Ismail said violence against frontline workers deserve greater attention in terms of occupational safety.
He said risks to their personal safety should be addressed not only from a crime and law enforcement perspective but also as an occupational safety and health (OSH) concern.
Ahmad Fakhrul Anuar said workplace violence include intimidation, threats and physical assaults against workers in the course of their duties, including incidents involving external parties.
“We often associate OSH with machinery, chemicals or hazards at construction sites.
“However, aggressive human behaviour also poses a risk that must be identified, assessed and controlled according to the nature of the work and operational conditions,” he said in a statement.
Ahmad Fakhrul Anuar said violence-related risk assessments should be incorporated into work planning, particularly for operations involving interaction with the public or unpredictable situations.
The risk of violence against workers, especially frontline personnel, should remain a key consideration in developing national OSH policies, strategies and programmes, he added.
