The Executive Committee of Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) congratulates the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police on its 15 months of enquiry into the Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) and the completion of its final report. The enquiry process and final report are valuable contributions to Malaysian society, and WAO applauds the government for releasing the report to the public so quickly. The report is quite comprehensive, and WAO is especially encouraged that it embraces a broad human rights perspective.

With respect to women and children, the report covers important issues that women's groups have been raising since the early 1980s. The statistics presented demonstrate that there has been a general increase in the number of reports of violence against women over the past few years. This indicates that the police force should give increased attention to the issue of violence against women.

WAO supports the recommendation that all police officers be required to attend additional training on issues of women's rights and violence against women. However, WAO would like to emphasise the importance of training on the dynamics of violence against women, especially with regard to how victims experience and respond to violence, as well as the procedural aspects of receiving and investigating complaints and complying with the Domestic Violence Act 1994. WAO visits police departments regularly and is repeatedly surprised and disappointed that police officers do not understand why women do not report the violence against them.

In addition to training all the officers on the dynamics and procedures relating to violence against women, WAO agrees with the Commission's recommendation to expand the D9B Unit into a Division that focuses on violence against women and children. This would help in addressing and recognising the complexities and seriousness of the issue.

WAO also supports the Commission's recommendation that both the campaign for women's rights and the approach to combating domestic violence must be multi-sectoral, incorporating the police, schools, medical professionals and institutions, religious institutions, government institutions, the media and the local community. WAO strongly encourages this approach to be institutionalised for all issues relating to women and children.

WAO supports the Commission's recommendation of establishing an independent oversight mechanism to hear complaints from the public and to ensure that the PDRM effectively implements and abides by rules and regulations. WAO found that presenting case studies and complaints to the Commission was incredibly useful, as it gave our clients a venue to voice concerns about the effectiveness of the force. The Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission must be instituted quickly and be truly independent so the police can become more accountable to the public.

With regard to the Prime Minister's announcement that a Task Force will be appointed to study the report and prioritise implementation of the recommendations, the role of the Task Force should be not simply to study the report, but rather to push for swift implementation of the Commission's recommendations. The report already lays out a reasonable timeline for implementation of the recommendations. If a Task Force is appointed, it must be appointed immediately and begin the task of implementing the recommendations as soon as possible. The appointment process should be transparent and members should include representatives from civil society. In addition, the Task Force cannot be seen as a replacement for the ongoing independent oversight mechanism.

The police play an essential and critical role in Malaysian society, and WAO would like to acknowledge their contributions to combating crime and keeping peace. WAO finds it encouraging that the police leadership have accepted the report as a fair and balanced portrayal of their work and are actively working to reform the force's operations. WAO looks forward to continuing its work with the Royal Malaysia Police as it moves forward in its reforms.

Meera Samanther, President
On behalf of the WAO Executive Committee

Related News:
(Requires Acrobat Reader)

• Background to the setting up of the Royal Commission (The Star, May 17, 2005)
• Members of the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operations and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police (The Star, May 17, 2005)
• 10 thrusts to revitalise police force (The Star, May 17, 2005)