Answer Musa’s claims, cops tell top brass
Police want the top brass to look into the ex-IGP’s claims of criminal elements and political interference in the police force.
Anisah Shukry and Teoh El Sen, FMT
The police are split over ex-inspector general of police Musa Hassan’s claims of political interference and criminal elements in the police force but one common sentiment prevails – the top brass must take responsibility over it.
“Of course it is damaging to the police force but then again, there is no smoke without fire, so there is an element of truth in it,” said a senior policeman on condition of anonymity.
“Perhaps in a way it is good because if the top level wants to change, it is high time to look into it,” he told FMT.
Last week, Musa dropped a bombshell when he accused Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein as one of the politicians who interfered with police investigation.
The former top cop also suggested that criminal elements had infiltrated the police force, revealing that there were cases where the links went high up and “nobody dared talk about it.”
His damning comments coincided with Umno’s general assembly; the party’s last huddle before it faced the 13th general election.
Umno top leaders, including Hishammuddin, had not directly answered Musa’s claims since last week, choosing instead to dismiss them as attempts to sidetrack the public from the issues raised during the general assembly.
Meanwhile, current IGP Ismail Omar said that he did not have the time for things that were “not important” – a response that courted ire from Musa who labelled the former as “snobbish.”
‘Ismail is a poor leader’
Commenting on this, the senior police officer told FMT that Ismail lacked leadership quality.
“He shouldn’t be there in the first place, he’s merely a puppet. Whenever he is summoned by the ministry, he comes back crying.
“Whenever he is pressured, he doesn’t act professionally, he screams at his officers. He is someone who is hard to work with, no backbone, no guts,” he said.
