Police consider accusations that investigations into sensitive racial and religious issues on the social media are done selectively as a serious matter, said Deputy Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Mohd Zinin.

In a statement here on Tuesday, he said the police were not selective in their investigations and did not give priority to any particular race or religion.

"I want to clarify that the time needed to complete an investigation paper differs and depends on many factors, especially the information that can be gathered.

"In handling cases involving irresponsible statements spread through Facebook, police have to determine the true holder of the account first so that fair action can be taken," he said.

He added that in many situations, the account was registered overseas where Malaysian laws could not be applied.

"This results in the police taking more time to conduct forensic investigations, especially when the account holder claims that their accounts had been hacked by a third party. This problem can be solved with the cooperation of other agencies," he said.

Mohd Bakri also urged all parties not to play up issues such as these which could instigate racial and religious sentiments which could affect unity and harmony.