Cops aim to dispel myth of lowly pay for officers
The Malay Mail Online – 32 minutes agoRELATED CONTENT
- This picture taken in the early hours of August 21, 2013 shows Malaysian policemen …
KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 — The salaries of constables are roughly four times more than what the public perceives.
This came to light following the latest exercise by the police to recruit 5,000 Chinese rank and file officers.
The exercise, which began yesterday, is the fourth special intake for Chinese recruits. The first was in 1970, the second in 1976 to fill inspector positions, and the third in 2008 to fill rank-and-file positions to assist with translation, especially at the Special Branch in Sabah and Sarawak.
Currently, there are only 2,054 Chinese officers in the force, with 80 rank-and-file officers and 1,974 inspectors or higher ranked.
Assistant chief inspector-general of police secretariat ACP Datin Asmawati Ahmad said many people assumed the salary and benefits of a police officer were low but with additional allowances, constables could take home up to RM1,904, rising to RM3,517 after a maximum eight years of service.
“The public assumes policemen only earn RM450 to RM500 a month but when you add in all the allowances, the salary is higher than many would assume,” she said.
She said if a constable performed up to par during probation, there would also be a chance for early promotion.
“There is time-based career advancement to higher ranks, as long as a constable serves for a minimum three to five years with a good service record,” she said.
The police are looking to hire more Chinese constables to break the language barrier that is a major problem in the force.
“We would like to have more Chinese officers at police stations, especially service counters so they will be able to assist the Chinese community who have difficulties conversing in either Bahasa Malaysia or English,” Asmawati said.
“The force will be able to serve the Chinese community better with the help of the recruits.”
“We have relaxed our rules on educational requirements to lure more Chinese youths to join the force. They may apply as long as they score two credits and pass four papers, including Bahasa Malaysia in their SPM.”
Asmawati said applicants then must obtain a credit in Bahasa Malaysia between one and three years of probation.
The force accepts applicants who pass the eyesight test with conditions and are allowed to use glasses or contact lenses to correct their vision.
“We hope that with the roadshow, more will be interested to join the force to help the community,” Asmawati said.
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