LETTER | Beef up security at police stations

LETTER | I am of the opinion that the police should review the ruling of closing their gates to the public at 10pm.

The officers in blue have always maintained an open and transparent image when dealing with the public, especially for those who require immediate action assistance during emergency situations and more so, when time is of the essence.

Access and ease for the public to lodge police reports have always been one of the main priorities of the police. There are also those who have always been sceptical in coming forward to give or seek cooperation from the authorities.

Hence, the image of closed police station gates does not augur well. This can be further complemented by the various insinuations and misinterpretations, especially by those with vested dark interests, that this ruling depicts a psychological chink in police armour and overall psywar of police craft in the show of courageous force.

Even with gates closed, if personnel have a lackadaisical attitude towards their own safety and security, things can go wrong.

It is a fact that we live in peaceful times today and your local station police personnel do not really expect any life-threatening situation. A low level of alertness has evolved through time in contrast to when we were constantly under threat from the communist insurgency.

It has been a natural evolution in modern policing as cops now are more inclined towards adopting civilian characteristics rather than the regimented lifestyle of the past where extreme caution and expecting the unexpected was the norm.

Police leadership must take cognisance of these changes and beef up station security with the appropriate show of force coupled with the relevant heightened alert, while ensuring that public perception of police courage and confidence are maintained at all times.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.