Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has rightly made two significant points in his speech at the launching of the national level Rakan Cop programme last Sunday.

Firstly, the prime minster has wisely identified that the bad apples are ruining the image of the police. And the police leadership must act decisively and with speed in weeding out from the police force of all these bad cops who continue to tarnish the reputation of our men and women in blue.

It will be most admirable if these bad apples are prosecuted and the cases widely publicised in the media. This will not only add to the deterrent factor but will also help in winning credibility votes from the public.

Secondly, the PM has also called for a stop to all the police bashing as he rightly pointed out that not all cops are bad. But isn't the government too guilty of police bashing?

Look at how all our economic policies have favoured and helped numerous individuals and organisations get rich quick over the years. Take an inventory of how much of public funds have been spent for various mega-projects and government agencies. Tour the various government departments and see the opulent of fittings and furnishings. Make a headcount of several agencies and see the excess in manpower.

But compare all these seemingly successful and proud achievements with what the police force has been left to contend with these past twenty over years:

We have yet to see improved working tools of modern day technology for the humble cop.

We have yet to see the comforts of modern day office conditions for the working cops.

We have yet to see the pigeon hole flats of police quarters all being replaced with more humane living conditions.

We have yet to see better salaries and benefits, let alone annual bonuses, for the police while they continue to risk their lives for the rakyat.

We have yet to see a significant and proportionate increase in manpower so that our cops do not have to be stretched with long hours on the job.

We have yet to see more cops enjoy a take home pay that is beyond RM500 as their salaries are presently largely being deducted for car and housing loans.

Aren't all these long years of neglect another form of bashing our Polis Di Raja Malaysia? How can we demand and expect our cops to live up to increasing pressure from politicians and the rakyat when the government itself is guilty of not giving top priority to the functional existence of the police force?

Hopefully, the government of the day will awaken to these harsh realities. The plight of the police is an often overlooked factor. If their image is suffering today, it is because the government has a hand in it too.

To state that the cop must place nation, king and service above self is utter rubbish. The policemen, too, have children to feed and an equal right to enjoy the economic progress of the nation. Otherwise, the bad apples will only keep on increasing in number in a more covert manner.