The country’s longest serving top cop said the Police Force Commission, or SPP, and the minister had no such authority.
“While the SPP has its purpose as stated by the law minister, it does not include the running of the police force,” he told FMT, referring to Takiyuddin Hassan.
Yesterday, Takiyuddin said Article 140 of the constitution stipulated that the SPP oversaw matters related to promotions, discipline, welfare and other matters concerning police personnel.
Currently, the commission is chaired by Hamzah Zainudin.
Takiyuddin had said this in an apparent response to outgoing IGP Abdul Hamid Bador’s criticism of Hamzah’s interference in police matters.
Hamid had also said Hamzah had “pushed to get power” to determine where police officers will be placed.
Hamid’s revelation came hours after Hamzah confirmed that he was the person in a leaked recording of a conversation on the reshuffle of the police force.
But Hanif said that in his 20 years as the IGP, he had no problems with his three ministers or the SPP.
None of his ministers, he said, had tried to interfere in the running of the force, and the SPP and its chairman kept strictly to their constitutional functions.
“Therefore, the SPP, as presently constituted, can work if everybody stays within their legal parameters.”
While he agreed with Takiyuddin that civil servants should use the proper channels to air their grievances, he said, Hamid’s situation was different.
Takiyuddin had said that civil servants should not divulge issues at “inappropriate places”. They could bring them up on occasions such as meetings at the ministerial level, but not expose them to the media, which was “tantamount to turning their back on the government”.
Hamid said he had brought up the issue of Hamzah’s interference to the prime minister and chief secretary to the government.
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