THE purpose of issuing uniforms to enforcement officers is for easy identification and when discharging their duties, the public will heed their orders. They may be serving in the police, customs, immigration, city halls, municipal councils, and road transport departments.

Otherwise, there will be many civilians in plain clothes impersonating law enforcement officers and attempting to collect bribes from targeted victims, seize their possessions, or issue demands, which may result in holding or abducting women and children.

From time to time, crooks have managed to get hold of and wear the police uniform to carry out criminal activities.

Sadly, crimes were also committed by uniformed enforcement personnel. Today, scammers are everywhere, from cyberspace down to the ground and on highways.

If anyone in civvies (civilian clothes) were to wave me to stop while I am driving, I would not. I might if it is a damsel in distress, but I would be wary whether she is a decoy, as there may be accomplices lurking nearby or a vehicle tailing my car later.

On April 16, three Road Transport Department (JPJ) officers stopped an express bus on the North-South expressway heading towards Nilai. The altercation between one of the officers and the driver was recorded and the video went viral.

The driver was adamant that he was stopped without reason and the officers were not in uniform or wearing JPJ vests, resulting in both parties lodging a police report. Earlier, the driver feared the plainclothes enforcement officers could be robbers.

Later, JPJ confirmed the three officers who stopped the express bus were undercover enforcement officers and added that they were allowed to do so but must present their enforcement card under Section 123 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333).

But how would members of the public be able to verify the authenticity of an authority card they have never seen before and could easily be forged?

Law enforcement agencies must realise that their officers are often seen in a bad light by the public, made worse by those trying to stamp their authority when acting like a bully or simply being overzealous in carrying out their actions.

Over the past decades, undercover JPJ officers often masqueraded as passengers in express buses, especially during festive seasons to nab drivers committing driving offences. I find such actions deplorable and done in bad faith.

This reminds me of my many proposals first made in 2003 to station video camera crews at selected highways and traffic lights to record offenses such as driving well above the speed limit, jumping red lights, and stopping in yellow boxes or beyond the white line at traffic lights.

The camera crews are to don bright uniforms to be easily visible to motorists and motorcyclists to deter them from committing traffic offenses, and not hide behind pillars or bushes and wait for offences to be committed and then catch them in the act.

Most motorists would then be on their best behaviour, just as they would if they noticed a police patrol car following behind or ahead of them.

Only a stubborn few would ignore and their transgressions would be recorded and later would receive a notification of traffic offence.

Instead of deterring express bus drivers from speeding or driving dangerously by waiting for them to do so, undercover JPJ officers would put their lives and also all other passengers in danger. Although an established practice over the past decades, it was a silly thing to do.

Likewise, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras should not be hidden for the sole purpose of capturing offences during the act.

Together with dummy cameras, they can effectively be used to deter crime. Enforcement agencies should prioritise prevention and operate in good faith.

One reason for the low street crimes in many cities around the world is the use of CCTV cameras, with or without facial recognition. There are many in Kuala Lumpur but most law-abiding people are not aware of them, as they do not take the trouble to look out for them.

Likewise, JPJ can make better use of technology instead of using one enforcement officer for one express bus at a time. If so, 2,000 enforcement officers will be needed to monitor 2,000 express buses, which is utterly inefficient.

Just like a tour bus driver and passengers can get very upset if stopped by enforcement officers on the way to the airport to catch a flight, express bus drivers would lose their focus and be disoriented if unexpectedly stopped on a highway just for checks. - May 1, 2024

YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant. 

https://focusmalaysia.my/bad-idea-to-conduct-enforcement-in-civilian-clothing/