KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) are currently testing out 1,376 body-worn cameras (BWC) to assess their effectiveness in field operations.

According to Utusan Malaysia, the devices were rolled out at contingent police headquarters, district police headquarters (IPD), and police stations across the central areas of the Klang Valley, in two phases, starting in June and August.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain told the national daily that in Kuala Lumpur, the installations covered five IPDs and stations: IPD Dang Wangi, Dang Wangi Police Station, Chow Kit Police Station, Tun HS Lee Police Station, and Jalan Bandar Traffic Police Station.

He added that four locations in Selangor — IPD Klang Utara, Kampar Police Station, Bandar Baru Klang Police Station, and Klang Utara Traffic Police Station — are also part of the pilot project.

“These nine locations, comprising IPDs and police stations, are part of a pilot project aimed at testing the effectiveness and functionality of the body cameras, with plans to eventually roll them out nationwide.

“The implementation began on June 19, involving five IPDs and stations in Selangor, with the remaining four in the capital,” he told Utusan Malaysia yesterday.

Razarudin further explained that the installation of BWCs at the Bukit Aman Police Headquarters, as well as the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor contingents, started on August 12 and was completed by August 20.

“A total of 1,376 body cameras have now been installed for officers in the Klang Valley,” he said.

Looking ahead, Razarudin said that the next phase of installation will focus on the southern zone, which includes the Johor, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan contingents, before expanding to the northern and eastern zones.

“We expect the nationwide installation of body cameras to be fully completed by March next year,” he added.

Earlier reports from Utusan Malaysia indicated that PDRM is set to receive 7,648 body-worn cameras in stages, beginning in September this year and continuing through February 2025.

Razarudin said that BWCs are instrumental in identifying officers involved in misconduct or integrity breaches while on duty.

He added that the deployment of these cameras would be done gradually, prioritising key units such as the Patrol Car Unit (MPV) and Motorcycle Patrol Unit (URB) before expanding to the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT).

“These units play a critical role in crime prevention patrols conducted by MPV and URB personnel.

“This initiative will also strengthen public trust and cooperation with the police, as every interaction will be recorded,” he was quoted as saying. - Malay Mail, 10/9/2024

 

Cops abused power in shooting of 3 men, including Sri Lankan, coroner finds

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The coroner’s court finds that police did not fire the shots at the three men in self-defence as claimed and that there were elements of a criminal nature in the shooting of the trio in Rawang.

Free Malaysia Today
Lawyer M Visvanathan (left) briefs family members of G Thavaselvan and J Vijayaratnam on the outcome of the inquest.

SHAH ALAM:
The coroner’s court today concluded that there was abuse of power and elements of a criminal nature in the death of three men who were shot at close range by police three years ago.

Coroner Rasyihah Ghazali said, on the balance of probabilities, S Mahendran, G Thavaselvan and his brother-in-law J Vijayaratnam, a Sri Lankan national, died of gunshot wounds on their heads and chests.

“The shots were not fired in self-defence. There was abuse of power and (actions in the nature of) criminal elements by police in the death of the men,” she said this evening at the end of an inquest.

Police had claimed there was an exchange of fire between policemen and the trio at the edge of a jungle in Rawang and that two of the men had been armed with pistols.

Rasyihah, however, said she was unable to conclude as to what had happened to G Moganambal, the wife of Vijayaratnam, who was reported missing after the incident and has yet to be found.

On Sept 14, the three men, whom police said were suspected to have been involved in armed robbery, were killed in a shootout with the police at Km22 of Jalan Rawang heading towards Batu Arang, following a 7km high-speed car chase.

The coroner said today the men died between 5.20am and 5.30am on Sept 14 based on evidence collected in the inquest.

She said scientific evidence with regards to the position of the bodies and the weapons allegedly found on the two men did not tally with the oral testimonies of the policemen.

“The weapons described by the ballistic expert (Izzuwan Marzuki) and the investigating officer (P Visvanathan) were also in conflict,” she said.

She said police witnesses gave evidence that shots were fired at the men from an upright position but post-mortem reports stated that the bullets pierced their bodies at a downward angle.

Rasyihah said, in totality, there were many disputable questions of fact regarding witness statements.

The four had left Kepong at about 10pm on Sept 13 after dinner to visit friends and relatives. Moganambal’s sister, Vasanthi, had testified that Moganambal sent a location map via her mobile phone at about 1am (Sept 14) that indicated they were at a food outlet in Serdang.

Vasanthi stated in her evidence that shop owner Senizam Md Yusof admitted meeting the four that morning. However, Senizam denied in court that he had met them at his premises.

Lawyer M Visvanathan, who held a watching brief for the family of Thavaselvan and Vijayaratnam, said he had instructions to file a civil suit following today’s verdict.

“We have four months to do so as the three-year limitation period to file a legal action against the government will set in by September,” said Visvanathan who was assisted by V Sanjay Nathan.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sean Dudley assisted the coroner. A total of 20 people gave evidence. - FMT, 31/5/2022