Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Zubaidah Md Ismail will lay down the law when it comes to instilling discipline among police personnel.

TO describe Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Zubaidah Md Ismail as an iron lady is an understatement. Despite her motherly demeanour, the seasoned policewoman is all business when it comes to laying down the law against crooked cops or those with disciplinary problems. The first director for Bukit Aman’s Integrity and Standard Compliance Department (JIPS), she aims to make the department on par with NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau. Sunday Star catches up with SDCP Zubaidah some seven months after JIPS was formed in July last year.

> JIPS was officially launched on July 25, 2014. How would you describe your last seven months being in charge of Bukit Aman’s own Internal Affairs Bureau?

One of the main complaints we are receiving right now is about the front-liners and police enquiry office. It all comes down to service, whereby there are still some who refuse to receive certain police reports. We dealt with these problematic police personnel but there are still the stubborn ones. All of our front-liners should realise that the police are able to receive any report, irrespective of the location where the crime or incident occurred. Days when the police would say “This occurred in another district so you have to go there,” are over.

> What was it like initially after taking over the department “policing the police”?

The first three months when we came in, we started with identifying the problems in the police and going and checking what is nagging the public. Our analysis focused on what the public is not happy with us and what police personnel are facing. From there, we narrowed down and addressed the issues while focusing on the big ones. On complaints about our men, they were mostly centred on lack of supervision. For example, there is no one checking on them in terms of their front-line duties, including lockup management and enquiries. No matter how small the responsibility is, they should know it and should carry it out. JIPS’ action is divided into three parts – education, preventive and, most importantly, punitive.

> Can you explain further on the actions you have taken on problematic personnel?

We have and are taking drastic action, including giving stern warning of expulsion. The front-liners’ performance reflects on the police force as a whole and for that, there is no compromise if they do not perform as expected. The IGP (Inspector-General of Police) has issued an official order that reports can be made anywhere and I have informed police chiefs nationwide that reports must be accepted. Even if the case is not from your district, a report can be made and referred to the district or station responsible. Our motto is “Sedia Berkhidmat” (Ready to be of Service) – to put it simply, our job is to serve the people. Courtesy is very important and we are trying to instil this in all personnel, especially the front-liners.

> What are among the complaints received by JIPS?

We received complaints on all things but the most number of complaints would be on delivery service, treatment of victims and conduct of the Investigating Officer (IO). We discovered that some IOs were slow in updating the victims on the investigations and some even failed to do it entirely.

However, there are some members of the public who refuse to understand even after the case has been updated. For example, there was a case of a man who still had the heart for his ex-wife and was caught in a fist fight with the latter’s boyfriend. He reported the matter to the police but even after action had been taken, he still hounded us to reclassify his case to benefit him. In short, he tried to tell us how to do our job. But after the IO explained to him, he thanked us. That case aside, the IOs have to improve, whereby they have to be more approachable and I am very serious about this. If they still do what they do, then we will move in. If there is a complaint with a basis, we will open an investigation to see its validity. If there is any, we will take appropriate action.

> Did you anticipate resistance, even opposition, from fellow policemen when JIPS personnel performed their duties?

Definitely. When JIPS was just formed, there were certain police personnel who were angry with us, accusing us of “meddling” in their affairs and finding fault. In one case, a JIPS officer happened to see a police personnel wearing white socks (Police SOP requires them to wear dark blue or black socks) and subsequently took action. It may seem like a trivial matter but my stand is if you can’t comply with something like this, then how are you going to comply with something bigger? We are trained to look for discrepancies but we never set out to purposely find fault. There are also cases where personnel totally neglect to even wear socks.

After seven months, I can say that our fellow men and women in blue are beginning to understand our role better. We are here to educate and correct so that we can prevent them from making mistakes in the future.

> Are the police personnel who complained about JIPS, accusing the department of purposely finding fault, problematic themselves?

There are those who complained about JIPS but they often do it online via blogs or social media. However, upon closer inspection, we discovered that the same complainants were problematic officers or those who have a bad disciplinary record. The same people are too comfortable with their way of handling things despite it being against rules and regulations.

However, I can safely say that the majority of the police force are in favour of JIPS. The very small group of policemen (who are against JIPS) often blew the issue against JIPS out of proportion until it went viral. Sometimes it’s old stories that these personnel rehash. I had a rough time answering the baseless allegations but it will not deter me from doing the right thing.

> The public was initially sceptical when JIPS was first formed. Has such perception changed?

Our unit receiving complaints and queries has been busy for the past seven months. More than 1,000 complaints have been recorded. Even those from the opposition parties have come to us to report on police misconduct. That is the trust given to us as we are transparent.

> Some quarters have alleged that JIPS is not effective especially in dealing with corruption cases, claiming that certain officers escaped persecution. Your comment, Datuk?

Firstly, if we detect cases of corruption or bribery, we will check the matter and refer the case to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Usually, it will take the MACC a while before they can decide to charge the police personnel involved or not, so during that interim time, JIPS will transfer the person involved to a post where no conflict of interest exists. Corruption is very difficult to prove. Even if caught red-handed, it takes a while. What we can do is we remove the officers to prevent conflict of interests.

> How many officers and personnel have been taken to task for bribery and corruption?

In 2012, 163 police officers and personnel were detained for corruption and 60 were charged. In 2013, 56 were detained and 19 charged. Last year, 111 police officers and personnel were detained, leading to 18 charged. Between 2012 and December 2014, a total of 35 officers and personnel have been interdicted from active duty while a further 59 have been suspended from work.

> How have enactments such as the Whistleblower Act assisted in encouraging the public to come forward and lodge reports or complaints with JIPS?

Understanding of the Whistleblower Act is still low among the public. The most important thing that the people should know is to make sure the information given is new and fresh. If someone sends a letter to JIPS hoping to be anonymous but copied the letter to others, then the complainant will not be eligible as a whistleblower. Information given should not be too general – for example, the policemen in this district are corrupt. Complainants should try their best to be specific.

> What are among the initiatives taken by JIPS to tackle corruption within the force?

We gave a talk in December last year to policemen’s wives. The talk, which is the brainchild of the IGP’s wife, focused on reminding the wives not to make demands on their husbands. It is common for the wife to ask the husband for more jewellery and other things when they see others, such as their neighbours, owning such stuff. In short, don’t live beyond your means. And they should do away with the motto of “enough is never enough”. Mostly, the wives demand for things. Thus they should not be compared with those who have more.

We also did a reject bribe campaign last year and for this year, we are organising a walkathon with the theme “Rasuah Membinasakan” (Corruption will Destroy You) at Tasik Titiwangsa in conjunction with Police Day. This campaign aims to reject the culture of giving and receiving bribes.

> Any last words, Datuk?

From minor to major disciplinary issues, JIPS takes it very seriously as it is our duty to make sure our police personnel’s integrity is always preserved, no matter how high or low the ranks. JIPS is a department which the public and the Government count on. I will not mince words as it is a big challenge but my men and I are up for the challenge. With the formation of JIPS, I truly hope the number of offences committed by our men will decrease with time. We do not want to find fault, rather we hope to “correct” what needs to be corrected.

Resource: The Star