IGP: No biasness, political interference, underworld links

The police is neutral, act independently, and is not influenced by third parties—including politicians or underworld characters.

This was according to the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, who maintained that the police base their actions within the confines of the law.

“I have mentioned this many times. Our responsibilities are to uphold and enforce the law. If we already have laws, and we do not enforce it, people will question us too. So, we have to enforce all existing laws,” stressed Khalid during an exclusive interview with Astro AWANI recently.

Khalid’s comments come in light of recent arrests and prosecutions, especially under the Sedition Act and the Peaceful Assembly Act which have been labelled by critics as a ‘crackdown on dissent’. The crux of the criticisms include the allegation that the police were more likely to target Opposition-linked parties rather than those closer to the incumbent government.

“Definitely, there is no biasness. It is not true. Who says we do not investigate the other cases? Maybe those cases come under other laws. Investigations continue regardless of who they are,” said Khalid.

“Who says we’re biased? Which investigations have we brushed aside?” said Khalid, who added that

the police had also investigated former Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali, whose call for Christian Bibles to be burned were deemed seditious by some.

“Who said we did not investigate (Ibrahim), who says we did not open up investigation papers, who says we did not call him up for statements to be recorded. It’s the same (for everyone),” he said.

“If there is a report, we investigate. After we investigate, there are some where we find that there were no offences committed, and there are those we find that there were offences committed, and we move those cases forward, to court and so forth,” he said.

Asked about interference by Ministers, as was brought up by former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan previously, Khalid flatly denied that there were any in his time.

“Since I took over, there has been no interference from any politicians, that’s what I can say.”

“Whatever actions that have been taken, recently, they are based on the law and not based on any orders or interference from anyone. There is no issue of interference from any party,” he said.

On allegations that police were linked to the underworld as was highlighted in the past, Khalid responded: “How can the underworld interfere with the enforcement of the law?”

“I deny that there are any interference whatsoever. How can they interfere…if they are doing something illegal? No, definitely there are no interference from any illegal people in our efforts to enforce the laws in our country,” said Khalid, adding that “all our officers have been ordered to enforce the current laws”.