With the release of all five of The Malaysian Insider and The Edge team, I would like to make a humble request to the Royal Malaysian Police, their inspector-general of police (IGP) and also the home minister; will you all please stop with the intimidation tactics?

Yes, I know police officers are merely doing their jobs. But let us look at some questionable aspects in your practices and procedures.

For example, why is there double standards of treatment in your “zero tolerance” towards sedition?

Ministers and former ministers can just be investigated by a phone call, yet journalist and media executives need to be arested and have their hands cuffed behind their backs?

Quasi-preachers who mock others have their investigations languish for weeks and even months, while others can see themselves detained at dawn the next day?

The only conclusion one can make by this double standards in treatment is that there is a bias within the police force, with a kowtow mentality by some which think there needs to be ‘VIP treatment’ if asked to give it.

That is no way for enforcers of the law to act, and the IGP should make his stance on this extremely clear. Either use the same tactics to investigate everyone including ministers, former ministers, hateful conservative radicals as well, or treat everyone with your so-called ‘VIP package, phone-call-only investigation plan’.

Furthermore, perhaps the IGP can clarify this to a layman like me. Before you go out all gung ho to arrest someone, be it opposition politicians, media practitioners or even a would-be criminal, are you not supposed to investigate and then arrest?

Now maybe perhaps I’ve been jaded and programmed by multiple episodes of ‘Law & Order’, but my understanding of watching 15 seasons of ‘Mariska Hargitay’ tells me you actually need to investigate first, and not detain then ask for a remand period to further investigate the allegations.

Judging by the number of requests thrown out on the series, even the judges were irked at such audacious requests.

I am sure our police force and their chief have the best of intentions in wanting to uphold the law, and I will continue to say that the government needs to splurge on enforcement agencies.

Waste of time and tax money

However, these recent actions of arresting media personnel were a waste of time and subsequently tax money, through the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission as well as the Royal Malaysian Police.

It also erodes my belief that our police force should have the investigative abilities to be solving greater crimes rather than foolishly pursuing this particular case.

It also brings into question the amount of funds wasted in getting officers in mass numbers to go out and get a lawmaker in Penang while wearing balaclavas, dawn raids on my Shah Alam MP’s house and even the need to send 20 people to bring in a lawmaker who once bit an officer.

He’s a lawmaker, he's not Hannibal Lecter from ‘Silence of The Lambs’ wanting to host a dinner party.

Perhaps these are orders directly from the IGP, or perhaps some officers are trying to impress their boss. Needless to say, it comes at the price of your credibility to the public and now, the media fraternity worldwide.

Needless to say, the IGP has overstepped his boundaries, and should perhaps consider resigning. Perhaps the police chief could look into exploring the sciences.

I’m sure many environmental non government organisations and wildlife non-profits are looking for someone with such eminent abilities in catch and release programmes.