Hire 3,348 additional cops to keep police station gates nationwide open

Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng has called upon the government to recruit additional four police personnel for each of the 837 police stations in the country with an emergency allocations.

This means the government would need an additional 3,348 police personnel to stand guard at the police station gates. This is meant to ensure that the gates are kept open.

“To avoid the police and (Home Minister Senator Datuk Seri) Saifuddin (Nasution Ismail) from being unfairly targeted as an object of derision, more police personnel should be recruited to guard police stations to allow the gates at police stations to remain open.

“There should be emergency funding by the government for an additional four police personnel, with three police personnel taking turns to guard police stations and one more as backup, for each of the nation’s 837 police stations.

“The extra 3,348 police personnel would be additional to the current total of 134,978 police personnel and officers nationwide. Even the present 134,978 police personnel are insufficient with a reported shortage at the police stations of 4,940 police personnel.

“Should the shortage of 4,940 police personnel be filled and the extra 3,348 police personnel recruited to keep the gates of our police stations open, the police force would increase to 143,266 police personnel,” said the national DAP chairman in a statement.

Saifuddin recently announced that the gates of the police stations would be closed as a necessary security measure following the attack on a police station in Tiram, Johor.

His answer during the parliament session however became a matter of ridicule in the public.

MCA gets shot down for pouring scorn

On that note, Lim also took the MCA to task for pouring scorn on the measure that Saifuddin announced.

“What is most regrettable is that MCA leaders have used the opportunity to heap scorn, ridicule and contempt in equal measure at the Saifuddin and the police, completely ignoring the important role played by our policemen putting their lives at risk to prevent crime and keep Malaysians safe.

“Unfortunately, such scorn, ridicule and contempt has gained traction with some questioning why public hospitals and convenience stores can keep their gates open 24 hours a day but not police stations when police are supposed to keep us safe from criminals?

“How can police keep us safe if they cannot even keep their police stations safe?” is a common refrain heard after the scurrilous attacks by MCA,” Lim took a shot at the Chinese party which is also a component of the present unity government.

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