PDRM targets up to 30 pct non-Bumi, Orang Asli recruitment - IGP

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said recruiting more non-Bumipteras and Orang Asli into the force was important in terms of resolving communication issues when dealing with cases.

“I fear that our force could end up with 95 per cent Bumiputera personnel, including those from Sabah and Sarawak. This is not something very nice to hear and if this happens, we won’t be able to have much hope of moving forward as a dynamic unit.

“Maybe 20 or 30 per cent according to composition. I welcome (non-Bumiputera recruitment) as the faster we do this the faster we will be able to move forward without communication barriers,” he said in an interview with Bernama today.

Abdul Hamid said currently, Chinese made up 1.9 per cent of the total number of 123,000 officers and personnel in the country, and for Indians, three per cent, adding also that the number of Orang Asli recruitment has dwindled.

He said PDRM had been facing difficulty in the recruitment of non-Bumiputera since 2010.

In its efforts to uphold the law and maintain national security, PDRM requires the sacrifices, contribution and participation of each and every race, Abdul Hamid said, adding that it had also held discussions with the Public Service Department (PSD) over the (recruitment of non-Bumiputera) matter.

“We are already facing a lack of non-Bumiputera participation, and then those who do want to join have problems with (the) Bahasa Melayu (credit) requirement. This has been happening since 2010 and we are increasingly facing a dearth of officers, be it from the Chinese, Indian or Orang Asli communities.

“We had several discussion with the PSD and submitted several proposals, and the PSD finally agreed to relax requirements but added some others as well, such as making it compulsory to pass certain examinations,” he said.

PDRM recently said that it will conduct a special intake exercise for the post of Police Constable Grade YA1 involving non-bumiputeras as well as Orang Asli Constable Grade YP1 for the community.

It said the special recruitment will give the opportunity to any individual who had not scored a credit in Bahasa Melayu in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) to apply.

Explaining further, Abdul Hamid said those recruited must pass Bahasa Melayu tests within six years, adding that they will undergo various training phases and learn how to interact with each other in Bahasa Melayu to improve their command of the language.

“This will provide them with the (language) exposure needed to pass the required tests within six years,” he said.

As for the recruitment of Orang Asli, Abdul Hamid said PDRM also appealed to the PSD to relax their minimum height requirement.